Op-Ed: Why We’re Taking Burien’s Minimum Wage to the Ballot Box
The Urbanist
by Katie Wilson and Nancy Kick
2h ago
Burien homeowner Gigi Green feels lucky to have a six-minute commute to her good-paying union job as a pharmacy technician. But it wasn’t always that way. “I’ve worked many, many minimum wage jobs. I’ve had an hour-and-a-half to two-hour commutes on the bus,” says Green. “I have driven as far as Everett and Tacoma on occasions for jobs. That does not leave a lot of time for you to be at home with your child.” Green regrets that she missed out on many of her daughter’s school performances and sports events, as well as the chance to get more involved in her community. Strong minimum wage legisla ..read more
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Bellevue City Council All But Abandons ‘Bike Bellevue’ Network
The Urbanist
by Ryan Packer
1d ago
On Monday night, the Bellevue City Council dealt a significant blow to efforts to complete a fully connected on-street bicycle network in central Bellevue, with most councilmembers vocally distancing themselves from the recommended network of 11 corridors in the Downtown, Wilburton, and BelRed neighborhoods that the city’s transportation department put forward last year. That network, called Bike Bellevue, was intended to improve safety on some of Bellevue’s most dangerous streets while at the same time providing a full network that doesn’t strand riders on unconnected facilities. But after he ..read more
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Metro Starts Federal Way Link Bus Restructure Planning
The Urbanist
by Stephen Fesler
2d ago
King County Metro has started the first phase of its bus restructure planning process centered around Federal Way Link. Opening in sometime in 2026, the extension will add about 7.8 miles of light rail between SeaTac and Federal Way and three stations. Metro’s restructure would support connections to the service, which could be an improvement for some riders over mid-range distances compared to local bus service. Metro’s initial project phase doesn’t involve a restructure concept. Instead, planners have outlined a study area where the agency might propose network changes. Planners are also see ..read more
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Sunday Video: What’s Happening With American Malls?
The Urbanist
by Stephen Fesler
4d ago
Malls have been closing up in America for years now, but remaining malls continue to reinvent themselves and some are seeing wild success. Dave Amos talks about what has been happening with malls, how they are evolving, and how some have had adaptive reuse into something entirely different. The post Sunday Video: What’s Happening With American Malls? first appeared on The Urbanist ..read more
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Op-Ed: Here’s How We Can Fix Aurora Avenue – From People Who Might Know
The Urbanist
by Lucca Murdoch Howard
5d ago
My name is Lucca Murdoch Howard, and I am a member of the Aurora Reimagined Coalition. We’re a group that has been advocating for the city to present new ideas for the design of the Aurora Avenue corridor since we were founded in 2021. Originally we were just a couple of community members advocating for the city to make some minor traffic tweaks along Aurora after a string of pedestrian fatalities along the roadway. Since then, we have become a coalition of groups committed to reimagining the design of Aurora to accommodate everyone that the current design ignores, and to make the road cl ..read more
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Sound Transit Snags Federal Grant for South King County Bus Stations
The Urbanist
by Ryan Packer
6d ago
The federal programs are aimed at repairing past harms from transportation infrastructure, but the two long-planned Stride stations leave much unrepaired. Sound Transit has been awarded a $68.9 million dollar grant by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to fund completion of two planned stations in Tukwila and Renton as part of its I-405 Stride bus rapid transit (BRT) project. The funds were awarded under the Neighborhood Access and Equity program, part of USDOT’s broader Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program. The award was the sole construction grant handed out anywhere i ..read more
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Join Us for Urbanist Panel Breaking Down 2024 Washington State Legislature Session
The Urbanist
by Jesse Swingle
1w ago
The session yielded less than expected for the “Year of Housing 2.0.” Our March 26 event will conduct an autopsy. The Washington State legislative session came to an end on March 7. What’s changing? What’s staying the same? Join our expert panel as we consider what happened this session from an urbanist lens. Our panel features The Urbanist‘s contributing editor Ryan Packer and our elections committee Vice Chair Jazmine Smith, and it will be moderated by Crystal Fincher, who is a political consultant, host of the Hacks and Wonks podcast, and a board member at The Urbanist ..read more
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Spring Service Change Brings Shifts in Transit Service Across Puget Sound
The Urbanist
by Stephen Fesler
1w ago
Service changes are coming to Puget Sound transit agencies late this month, as part of annual spring adjustments. The biggest will be in Snohomish County with implementation of Community Transit’s Swift Orange Line and some related bus network changes, but Sound Transit, King County Metro, and Pierce Transit will also see some changes. Sound Transit will also be launching an abbreviated but long-awaited version of East Link (2 Line) light rail in late April, independently of these planned changes to bus routes. Metro’s RapidRide H Line and Route 28 will get a bit more frequent service, but a f ..read more
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Seattle Waterfront Park Project Finally Enters Its Home Stretch
The Urbanist
by Doug Trumm
1w ago
After years of construction disrupting the entirety of Seattle’s waterfront, an end to jackhammering and a final grand opening is finally in sight, with the city’s powerbrokers ready to take full credit. On March 7, the Downtown Seattle Association [DSA] hosted its annual “State of Downtown” event and a major theme was the hotly anticipated grand opening of downtown’s new and improved waterfront park next spring. Backers expected the new park and aquarium to be a jolt to the local economy and a showpiece for the city. The speaker program included Joy Shigaki, CEO of Friends of Waterfront Seatt ..read more
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Seattle Council Wants to Subsidize Cop Housing While Affordable Housing Is on Chopping Block
The Urbanist
by Amy Sundberg
1w ago
Councilmembers also floated the option of lowering police officer standards to hire more cops, faster. After again failing to recruit faster than it lost officers last year, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is in the middle of a complete image rehaul and rebrand. Watch a recent recruitment video, and you’ll see diverse officers in uniform shaking people’s hands, petting dogs, and even hugging people. In these videos everyone is smiling, and Seattle is uncharacteristically sunny. Not shown? The mocking tombstone in an SPD breakroom, the laughter of Officer Daniel Auderer, the Vice President ..read more
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