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Communal housing - maybe it's not just for hippies and college kids anymore. Developers in suburban Seattle are betting that there's an appetite among middle-income buyers for a housing model that emphasizes shared resources and a sense of community... Read On 

Still on the fence about the tunnel referendum because you (a) hate arguing, (b) aren't sure other options are viable, or (c) feel like it's too late to turn back now? This is for you. Why the Washington State Department of Transportation is so wrong... Read On 

I wouldn't expect someone who wants to build everything - highways, transit, etc., to have much of a problem with the deep bore tunnel. I certainly wouldn't expect a pro-highway, anti-transit person to like surface/transit. .. Read On 

All-day paid parking will be allowed near Sound Transit light rail stations under legislation approved this week by the Seattle City Council. The ordinance allows businesses and property owners to temporarily provide up to 40 paid spaces for park-and-ride customers near light rail stations, as long as slots remain available for business customers. A permit would be valid for three years... Read On 

Maybe the suburbs used to be the cheaper option, where you chose to live to avoid a higher cost of living in the city. But rising gas prices likely will change that, according to a study released by the Planning Institute of Australia late last year... Read On 

The tunnel debate which has raged for years is getting old. It should not distract us from three important objectives. First, the viaduct needs to be replaced because it will not sustain another mega earthquake. Replacing the viaduct is the region's #1 priority safety issue, and controlled demolition on the south part of the viaduct is already underway... Read On 

Possibly the easiest way to improve land use is to repeal legal restrictions that prevent profit-maximizing developers from also doing desirable, urbanist designs. Parking minima are an obvious example of this. What's harder is encouraging good design when it's not the profit-maximizing choice... Read On 

Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood is coming alive again, despite the recent recession. Every day, roads are populated with trucks and construction workers putting up big buildings -- 10 of them in South Lake Union. Within a few years an eleventh will be constructed, all just for Amazon.com... Read On