Washington
Exploring Urban Resurgence
In a wide ranging personal journey of interest to planners and interpreters of the built and natural landscapes, Chuck Wolfe weaves the interplay of the forces behind the everyday, providing fodder for problem solving in our cities and towns.
Seattle Releases Draft 20-Year Transportation Plan
The draft Seattle Transportation Plan proposes an ambitious agenda for the next 20 years of transportation planning in the city of Seattle.
Cascadia High-Speed Rail Corridor Seeking Federal Funding
The state of Washington is hoping federal infrastructure funding can pay for $198 million of the $348 million necessary to plan the Cascadia High-Speed Rail project.
Seattle To Expand Traffic Camera Program
The new cameras are designed to reduce travel time for buses and limit speeding at dangerous intersections.
Feasibility Study for Proposed Seattle Streetcar Loses Funding
The $1 million cut doesn’t bode well for the beleaguered project, which some city councilmembers see as redundant and overpriced.
Why an Eldercare Facility Turned to Employer-Provided Housing
Providing temporary housing in tiny homes has helped a Washington long-term care facility keep its doors open in the face of a growing housing crisis.
Report Links Zoning and Land Use to Structural Racism
The historically comprehensive study outlines the policies that have shaped homeownership, generational wealth, and economic development in the Puget Sound region.
Seattle Quietly Unveils New Interstate Lane
The Washington Department of Transportation expanded part of I-5 in hopes of reducing a common traffic bottleneck.
Opinion: Form-Based Codes Could Harm Seattle’s Housing Affordability
Form-based zoning codes can encourage mixed-use development and walkable neighborhoods, but focusing too much on aesthetic elements can drive up the cost of housing.
AI and Downtown Recovery: Missing the Mark in Seattle?
In his fourth GeekWire article on downtown recovery, Chuck Wolfe reviews the use of AI imagery in a section of the Seattle Downtown Activation Plan and suggests how it may have missed the mark.
Bus Rapid Transit Plans Scrapped in Tacoma
A planned bus rapid transit (BRT) line known as “Stream” will have to move forward in some new, as-yet-unplanned form in Tacoma, Washington.
ADU Demand Grows Across the West Coast
In communities from California to Washington, permit applications for accessory dwelling units outpace the ability of permitting and construction to keep pace.
Seattle Sweep of Unhoused Encampments Draws Criticism
The city denies that the timing of clearing a camp populated by unhoused residents was related to the upcoming MLB All-Star Game.
Washington Governor Delays Progress on Mileage Fee, Again
For the second time in two years, Gov. Jay Inslee has dealt a legislative setback to transportation planning efforts to prepare for the 2035 ban on the sale of gas-tax paying light duty motor vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.
Opinion: Lower Rents Will Give Downtown Spaces Back to the ‘Weirdos’
Introducing the “CBGB theory of city planning.”
King County Metro to Cut Bus Service
With hundreds of buses out of service and a mechanic shortage delaying repairs and maintenance, Seattle area bus riders will see significantly reduced service this summer.
Regional Authority to Address Homelessness Proposed in Spokane
The city wants to coordinate resources and groups to bring resources to unhoused residents after the closure of Camp Hope, formerly the largest encampment in the state.
Revisiting ‘Third Places’ as a Pandemic Recovery Tool
In Chuck Wolfe's latest piece on downtown recovery for GeekWire, he proposes revisiting a multifaceted ‘third place’ agenda as a focus for downtown recovery.
Sound Transit Reveals Early 2024 Service Plans
Seattle’s transit agency is looking to maximize its limited resources as it continues to grapple with staffing shortages and supply chain issues across the region.
Bellevue Issues Curb Management Plan
The plan reorients the city’s priorities from vehicle throughput and parking to transit, bike infrastructure, and other public amenities.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
