Parking To Plowshares: At the site of a surface parking lot at Melrose and Pine, SolTerra is planning a 7-story tiered mixed-use building with first-floor retail and a top level restaurant space right next to the I-5 trench (and potentially future freeway lid.)
Ongoing Housing Crisis: Kriston Capps writes that most Americans think the 2008 housing crisis never ended and one in five think the worst is yet to come according to a poll.
Roots of Homelessness: Crosscut did a feature on the roots of the homeless crisis. Full warning for easily outraged urbanists: the author calls John Fox “the city’s most tenacious housing activist for over 40 years.”
No End In Sight: David Kroman covered the more recent homelessness history including Mayor Murray’s decision to declare a homelessness emergency but then use his augmented executive powers sparingly.
Detroit’s Struggling Charters Schools: The New York Times examines Detroit’s school reform program and details the pitfalls of privatizing public schools.
Overcrowded Sidewalks in NYC: The NYT also tackled something in its own backyard: the Big Apple’s overcrowded sidewalks and what’s being done to alleviate them.
Famous Lawncare: The Stranger broke news that the cast of Real World Seattle is doing at least some of the work to re-turf the play field at Cal Anderson Park.
Kirkland Bike Lanes: The Kirkland City Council is apparently getting serious about punishing folks who park in the city’s 49 miles of bike lanes as it will consider a $45 fine on July 19.
Portland Photo Tour: Jarrett Walker has praise for Geoffrey Hiller photographic tour through some of Portland’s more unsung corners via the route 75 bus.
Construction Mitigation For Bikes and Peds: Thanks to pressure from Bike Portland, Portland is considering legislation to require bicycle and pedestrian detours at construction sites.
