The Trump administration is gutting health care, child care, and food stamps. John Burbank argues Governor Bob Ferguson should immediately call a special session of the Washington State Legislature to fund services that the federal government has cut by taxing the corporations and billionaires bankr
Kroger blames theft for four local grocery store closures, but the real story is more complicated. Kroger seeks to squeeze out more profit by driving up food insecurity. Standing up public or nonprofit alternatives and pressuring Kroger to be a better corporate citizen offer potential solutions goin
The average $2,000 per month Social Security check isn’t enough for most to live on, especially given the high cost of living on the West Coast. Here’s the case for states instituting supplemental Social Security programs.
Seattle is a “you are on your own” city rather than one cares for vulnerable residents, especially our youngest kids. John Burbank lays out how to change that with investments in infant and child care.
Last Wednesday, Rep. Shaun Scott and a group of educators sought a meeting with Ferguson to voice concerns about social service cuts, but were rebuffed by an out-of-office governor more focused on appeasing the rich. Perhaps the state would be better off if the governor vacated the office permanentl
Trump actions are set to deepen the homelessness crisis, while kids face ICE deportation without any legal defense. County and City of Seattle leaders are scrambling to respond.
Snohomish County Council adopted new land use legislation to streamline permitting and remove regulatory barriers to opening more childcare centers and daycares. The state legislature seems to share in that goal and has proposed statewide legislation reducing regulatory hurdles.
We need a Bob Ferguson like we had in 2017 who stands up to and confronts Trump, John Burbank opines. We need a Bob Ferguson who fights for all of us to thrive, setting an example of what is possible as the federal government descends into a kleptocracy.
Seattle and King County are reeling from both immediate and anticipated impacts from the second Trump administration. Seattle Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci are leading efforts to prepare for the volatility and protect community members.
Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s sweep-friendly Grants Pass decision, the Seattle City Council is advancing stay out zones in hopes of criminalizing drug abuse, sex work, and homelessness out of existence. History suggests this will not work.
Research has showed the promise of guaranteed basic income programs to interrupt the cycle of poverty, and participants in King County’s pilot program told The Urbanist that it had helped them improve their circumstances.
Raise the Wage Burien is bringing together a coalition of workers, community groups, and labor unions to gather petition signatures to put a measure on the ballot this fall to raise Burien’s minimum wage to parity with nearby cities like Tukwila, SeaTac, Seattle, and Renton. In contrast, the city co
Renton voters have until February 13 to vote in a special election on the measure putting the city’s minimum wage in line with Tukwila and SeaTac.
Shops in unincorporated King County may have to accept cash as payment if the King County Council moves forward with a proposal meant to address the needs of unbanked residents. The measure, sponsored by King County Council member Jeanne Kohl-Welles, would require retailers to accept up to $250 in cash
This Transpo Notes roundup touches on a mix of transit stories, including: * Zero youth fares and ORCA Lift fare reduction begin; * ORCA card readers are getting an upgrade and new cards coming; * Sound Transit’s board approving an expanded fare ambassador program; * Sound Transit’s board conceptually approving equitable transit-oriented
Planning for aging communities is increasingly important. Vox visits Weesp, a small city in The Netherlands, to understand how the “dementia village” model works through the lens of De Hogeweyk. These communities seem to perform much better for residents than the traditional dementia housing model.
This week, more zero youth fare programs got approval in Puget Sound. Add King County Metro and Sound Transit to the list where youth riders aged 18 and under will be able to ride all forms of transit on their systems (i.e., bus, ferry, streetcar, light rail, and commuter
In Chinatown-International District, policymakers face big decisions on how and where to locate Ballard and West Seattle light rail expansion. Community members highlight, in this video, the long history of impacts to a community targeted for xenophobia and exclusion. Some of those impacts persist with noise and pollution from I-5.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell voted against taking fare violations out of the court system, blocking that amendment, and against taking fines out of collections, which passed 13-3 without him. Yesterday, the Sound Transit Board of Directors unanimously passed a much anticipated fare reform package that is aimed at reducing the
Barry (not his real name) can afford to pay about $200 a month for his small apartment. His rent is $800. He’s disabled and can’t work. He was homeless for a while and was able to get a “Rapid Rehousing Voucher” to cover the balance of his rent
This week’s Transpo Notes highlights include: future ORCA card capabilities, Sound Transit fare collection challenges and fare engagement future, concrete workers’ strike still delaying transit projects, I-405 interchange rebuild agreement approved, RapidRide I Line refinements, and new King County Metro bus restructure process begins. Future ORCA card capabilities Last
More passenger restrooms are ahead in Sound Transit’s ever-growing system. However, a recommended policy update would discourage them from becoming a universal and easily accessible feature at light rail stations because of stringent criteria. Under the policy, 16 transit facilities throughout Sound Transit’s network could have passenger restrooms
Bloomberg Quicktake/CityLab explores how Vienna is tackling affordable housing for all in the city. Mike Eliason, syndicated columnist of The Urbanist, offers his perspective in the video, too.
The future of jobs and housing growth in King County has been set. In late June, an obscure regional body known as the Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) adopted updated Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs). These policies lay the groundwork for growth targets that local municipalities must use to plan for
Fare hikes are on the way for state ferry riders. Prices could rise 2.5% in October of this year and then be followed by another 2.5% increase in October 2022 under an alternative preferred by the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC). State transportation officials need to fill a
Of all the unexpected systems that the pandemic has laid bare, the crisis has shown childcare to be uniquely scattered and broken. By closing down the backbone of childcare for most people — the public school systems — families were left scrambling to make do. The news report euphemism was “balancing” childcare
In this short video, Vox explains how Texas’ March electric energy failure could be just the tip of the iceberg for America going forward. While the state’s independent electrical grid was certainly a problem, there were bigger systemic problems that were exposed. Is the country prepared for future
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s conviction for murdering George Floyd led many to breath a sigh of relief. It was the first time a White police officer had been convicted of murder in Minnesota, and all it took to get that conviction was a nine-minute video depicting the state-sanctioned
Los Angeles’ Skid Row was not an inevitability, it was a policy. Johnny Harris explains how this district of tragic poverty came to be.
At month’s end, the eviction moratorium is scheduled to expire, which would put thousands of tenants at risk. A broad coalition spearheaded by the Transit Riders Union (TRU) is urging a nine-month extension of Seattle’s moratorium as soon as possible to ease worries for tenants. The Urbanist joined
“My constituents are mad. All of Seattle is mad, and to be honest, I’m mad too,” Councilmember Tammy Morales said in a statement Friday. “If the Mayor is worried about risk or logistical hurdles, I say taking a risk or jumping a hurdle is important if it saves even
After months of delay, King County’s Regional Homelessness Authority was supposed to get its Chief Executive Officer. There’s just one problem. The consensus pick, Regina Cannon, has turned down the job, Scott Greenstone reported in The Seattle Times yesterday. The reason Cannon declined the job isn’t yet
Updates to King County Metro’s key policy documents have been delayed due to Covid-induced impacts, but the agency hopes to complete them this year to chart the agency’s service future. The trio of key policy documents include the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, Service Guidelines, and Metro Connects.
It this short video, TransitCenter highlights the inequity of America’s public transportation systems both in term of social and environmental justice. TransitCenter argues that the federal government should permanently fund transit operations across the country with a $20 billion program per year,
Sound Transit is making good on a policy directive to expand bathroom access to facilities and equitable transit-oriented development (TOD) commitments in Seattle. The agency is also making strides to take an even bigger stake in equitable TOD as the transit system grows. In briefings yesterday, agency staff shared details
Kenmore could be on the cusp of passing a package of amendments that streamline the permitting process for affordable housing projects and provide a process for a special affordable housing density bonus. The amendments are derived from recommendations made in November by the city’s planning commission, which hopes to
Bloomberg Quicktake highlights America’s growing homelessness struggles and ways that could lessen it.
Since the Reagan administration, the federal government has gotten out of the game of producing social housing itself. A new report titled “The Case for Social Housing” calls for the federal government to reverse that in a big way and produce twelve million social housing units by 2030, echoing a
Vox explains how environmental racism through public policy and private actions can lead to environmental health catastrophes for people of color. Coronavirus is killing disproportionate numbers of black people in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” and Vox explores why environmental racism could be contrib
Sound Transit has been grappling with fare enforcement reimagination for the past two years in the wake of racial equity and social justice concerns, making some headway on reforms since last year. Some members of the Sound Transit Board of Directors and a bevy of community groups, however, are not
On October 14th, Governor Jay Inslee issued another extension of his eviction moratorium and rent freeze through the end of the year and also prohibited utility shutoffs until the Covid-19 crisis is over. The Governor’s previous eviction ban had been set to expire the following day. “We don’t
Bellevue, Renton, Issaquah, Maple Valley, North Bend, Covington, Snoqualmie, and Kent voted to opt out of King County’s homelessness measure by proposing their own city-based packages focused on higher income housing. Last month King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled a plan to raise $400 million to create 2,000
In September, the City of Seattle released the Internet for All Seattle Report. This report follows the City’s July 27th resolution to establish the city council’s goal to implement a “vision of enabling all Seattle residents to access and adopt broadband internet service that is reliable and affordable.
Dear Seattle City Councilmembers, The Urbanist implores you to do the right thing, hold the line, and take an important step toward racial justice. The straightest path to those goals starts with overriding Mayor Jenny Durkan’s veto of the rebalancing budget Council passed unanimously in August. The Council budget
Architect Michael Murphy provides several examples of how architecture can be designed to uplift, empower, heal, and rejuvenate communities when designed with intention and purpose.
Vox explains how human expansion into natural habitats is directly linked to the spread of new and deadly diseases in human populations.
“Defund the Police” seems ambiguous to many, but Vox explains what the movement is trying to achieve in communities across the country.
The American unemployment system is not universal in its design. How did we get to where we are and why are some systems designed to fail people in need of financial support?
Proposed by Councilmember Andrew Lewis, the new tax would fund housing and homeless services With the Covid recession already putting local governments’ budgets into the red, the race is on for lawmakers to devise new measures to increase revenue. Ensuring new revenue is raised through progressive rather regressive means is
Calling for a “Central Area Housing Plan” that seeks to remedy decades of gentrification that have displaced Black residents from Seattle’s Central District, last week a group of pastors from African American churches held a press conference with Councilmember Kshama Sawant to draw attention to a letter they had
On Wednesday, the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released its updated revenue forecast, and in doing so kicked off one of the most important battles over the state’s tax system we’ve seen in nearly 90 years. The forecast suggests the state will be short $4.5 billion
On June 15th, the Seattle City Council was briefed on a bill to transfer the Mount Baker University of Washington (UW) Laundry site to the City of Seattle. With combined surface area of 3.79 acres, the three parcels neighbor the Mount Baker light rail station. In 2018, the site
The Metropolitan King County Council is considering a demonstration program that would encourage microhousing developments in White Center and Vashon Island. Two demonstration projects could be built over the life of the demonstration program, one in each community. The effort follows a 2016 directive that the King County Department of
America’s most regressive social policy has entrenched the racial wealth gap. It’s time for it to go. This article is the second half of a two-part series on the importance of ending the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID). Part One focuses on how the MID works and what negative
For over half a century, America’s housing policy has been shaped around a deeply regressive tax deduction. That has to change. Imagine yourself standing in front of a stereotypical single-family home. There’s a mature maple tree in front yard, a driveway with a basketball hoop, and a deck
As disabled public transit advocates, we find Covid-19 has made transit board meetings increasingly accessible from the comfort of home–but only for now. For instance, transit boards will let you call in and either give your public comments over the phone or read them into the record. Streaming and
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has published a new playbook for urban streets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed the “Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery,” the playbook lays out seven emerging strategies in cities and many other policy choices for streets that can help maintain
About 2.3 million Americans live in food deserts, places where people lack access to affordable, healthy foods options, but did you know millions more Americans live in childcare deserts? In fact, according to the Center for American Progress, roughly 51% of Americans live in childcare deserts, identified as “any
Council President M. Lorena González has postponed budget committee meetings on the big business tax proposal sponsored by Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales until such time as the council can meet in-person again or negotiate a work around to comply with the Open Public Meetings Act (OMPA). Backers say
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, people have watched the world around them transform in unexpected ways, but for many Americans the sudden ubiquity of people wearing masks and other facial coverings in public is one of the most visible indicators of the virus’s impact on society. While
Vox explains why the United States is seeing employment plummet amidst the pandemic while the United Kingdom has not experienced the same level of jobs devastation. It did not have to be like. Massive job losses are a purely political decision, as the video highlights.
A new income-based fare pilot program will provide help support low-income riders on Sound Transit services for up to two years as the transit agency grapples with rider equity issues and fare enforcement reforms. The Sound Transit Board of Directors recently authorized participation in a regional pilot program and provide
The coronavirus epidemic has heightened Americans’ awareness that paid sick leave in the country is uncommon and necessary. Vox explains why the lack of paid sick leave is a threat to everyone’s wellbeing and what other nations are doing.
Washington renters breathed a sigh of relief yesterday as Governor Jay Inslee announced a rent freeze lasting two months. The governor also extended the eviction moratorium that he first issued in mid-March to June 4th as well. “All it took was a pandemic to get rent control in Washington state,
On Thursday, the Seattle Mayor’s Office announced on KUOW that several parks would be closing. Later in the afternoon, those specific parks were announced. The mayor claims, likely correctly, that some people haven’t been social distancing properly. Instead of using the opportunity to educate residents, and increase open
Transit agencies and riders alike in the Puget Sound can breath a sigh of relief, now that the federal government is providing emergency funding relief. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been dispersed for regional transit use to cope with plummeting revenues. For weeks, transit agencies in the Puget Sound
Vox shares a story of colonization, racism, and gentrification that created and then erased a Filipino neighborhood in San Francisco. This story was repeated throughout American cities where migrant Filipinos—and other communities of color—settled for work, were restricted in where they could live,
Recently the King County Council made headlines when it voted to expand on ORCA Lift to provide free Metro bus service for qualifying riders. By July of this year, individuals and families who earn 80% or less of the federal poverty level and participate in one of six low-income programs
With a short legislative session, Democrats and Republicans have been moving swiftly to get bills through the legislative process. Several major bills affecting environmental quality, housing, land use, and transportation have seen significant legislative progress with a major cutoff point looming today at 5pm. However, a many bills that are
Dave Amos of City Beautiful talks about the homelessness crisis in America. He covers two general approaches used to address the crisis and emphasizes the importance and efficacy of the Housing First model.
The King County Council is poised to adopt an income-based fare program to be used on King County Metro services. On Wednesday, the county council’s Mobility and Environment Committee passed an ordinance and motion that would would give Metro the authority to offer free or further reduced fare options
On Monday, the Seattle City Council by a 7-0 vote passed a winter eviction ban aiming to protect tenants during the three coldest months of the year. Although some cities do bar evictions on days with inclement weather, the policy Seattle just passed would be the most far-reaching in the
Officials from Ghent talk about how their circulation plan helped transform the city to a higher walking and biking mode share in a very quick, affordable manner while removing cars from city streets.
Yesterday, Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) introduced a bill that would grant King County the authority to enact a progressive payroll tax targeting large firms with high-paid employees who earn more than $150,000 per year. House Bill 2907 has 13 sponsors in the state house–all Democrats. Seattle Mayor Jenny
A new policy framework is flying under the radar that could remake how King County Metro delivers service and capital investments. Metro began developing the new Mobility Framework in spring 2019 aiming to guide equitable and sustainable updates to key agency policy documents. These change will ultimately affect future decision-making
It was a busy week at Sound Transit headquarters. Agency staff briefed regional policymakers on a range of topics from Connect 2020 progress to equitable transit-oriented development, but perhaps most interesting was station renaming and an update on the fare enforcement policy evaluation process. The Sound Transit Board of Directors’
A new transit-oriented development (TOD) in Bellevue could happen on surplus property owned by Sound Transit. The transit agency is actively seeking private bids to develop a 6.88-acre parcel of land next to its Bellevue operations and maintenance facility (OMF East)—which will support the East Link light rail
America may have an income tax, but the national tax structure is not remotely progressive and is weighted mostly against the poor and working class in favor of the very rich. Vox explains how that works.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has been working on a statewide active transportation plan this year that could reshape the state’s highway paradigm. The preliminary analysis takes stock of existing state highway facilities. WSDOT hopes that this information will be useful in generating a conversation around how
A fare-free system could be headed to Thurston County. Intercity Transit will consider a demonstration project for a five-year fare-free bus network, which could be implemented as soon as January 1, 2020. Going fare-free will not result in any service reductions, and the agency thinks it may come out ahead
Touristification on Lisbon has been swift, leaving many locals to wonder how they fit in with the city. With the global rise of tourism, how should cities balance tourism with people who live or want to live in them?
Fare enforcement policies administered by Sound Transit have only been slightly altered, albeit temporarily, despite serious concern by some Sound Transit boardmembers. A briefing the other week revealed that fare enforcement is very disproportionately hitting African American riders, adding even more concern about the process. Despite only representing 9% of
Why America has a universal minimum legal drinking age is due to roads, Vox explains.
From time to time, eminent domain in American has been used in unwise and unjust ways to demolish and remake neighborhoods. In this video, Dave Amos explains what eminent domain is and highlights various cases where it probably should have been restrained or not used as a tool.
Model Cities is a little known chapter in our urban history. It was part of LBJ’s War on Poverty, and was the last gasp of serious investment by the federal government to improve life in urban America. Devised as a corrective to top-down urban renewal, the program coupled major
Sound Transit stepped in it on the first day of school last week. Despite widely cheered plans to provide free transit passes to high school students at Seattle Public Schools, Sound Transit turned an opportunity to build goodwill and welcome a new generation of transit riders into a public relations
Hasan Minhaj explains why the state of American public transportation is threatened and leaves a lot to desire.
Prisons in America are usually designed for efficiency and to reinforce punishment by design, but their outcomes are often very poor for inmates and staff alike. Norway and Western European counties have flirted with designing prisons to be healthier and much more humane to prisoners, which Vox expl
Washington State’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) could not prove if the millions of dollars developers saved through Multifamily Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) have actually created a “net increase” in housing development across Washington State. Multifamily Tax Exemption, better known by the acronym of MTFE, has been
On August 7th, Mayor Jenny Durkan finally unveiled the winner of the contest for the most coveted real estate parcel in town: the 2.8-acre publicly-owned Mercer Megablock site in South Lake Union. Turns out the Mayor selected a $143.5 million bid from Alexandria Real Estate, a publicly-traded real
“We’re on the right side of history, the Green New Deal,” sang the Seattle Raging Grannies during public comment at the beginning of yesterday’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee meeting. The grannies, who sing songs for social change, brought a spark of optimism to the serious topic of the
Workie Wubushet, owner of Saba Ethiopian Cuisine, knew her campaign to save the restaurant she’d owned for nearly 20 years was over when the sheriff posted the eviction notice on the restaurant’s front door. Until that moment, there was still hope that the developers who had refused to
On Monday, the Seattle City Council approved Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s tenant protection bill targeting multifamily buildings up for sale. The city council also adopted changes to sign regulations in and around the Seattle Center Arena, approved an interdepartmental property transfer for a new skatepark, and authorized property acquisition to
The Seattle City Council’s housing committee will take up further discussion and possibly vote on a new tenant protection measure sponsored by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda today. Her proposal would expand the notice of intent to sell an affordable housing rental building. The current law only applies to multifamily buildings
Seattle-based Bellwether Housing has announced the launch of its Building Opportunity Fund, the nation’s first crowdfunded impact investment that funds the development of affordable housing. From now until September of 2019, Bellwether hopes to crowdfund $4.5 million dollars of investments to support the construction of 750 units of
In this video, Vox discusses the concept of the Green New Deal, a platform to change the American economy to a green economy while accounting for social welfare.
On Monday, the Seattle City Council approved several significant pieces of legislation and welcomed a new temporary member to the body. Council adopted a library levy renewal plans and an action plan for North Delridge community in addition to adjustments to the vacant buildings monitoring program, an interlocal agreement with
Seattle City Council will vote on the plan to build an affordable housing community on 34 acres of the Fort Lawton site in Magnolia this spring. Earlier this year, the Seattle Office of Housing released a draft plan for an affordable housing community at Fort Lawton, a former military installation
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) has released their 2017 travel survey data and it contains some really interesting nuggets. Households were asked a variety of questions about how they get to work, whether or not they pay for parking, and if they have access to or use subsidized transit
With Mandatory Housing Affordability in place in all urban villages, Seattleites are seeking additional answers for how to decrease displacement of low-income residents. At the beginning of a recent “lunch and learn” session devoted to the topic of displacement at the City Council chamber, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda joked that the