So this must be the yea olde bespoke bike rack for Pioneer Square. It really ties the neighborhood together. A modern bike rack would have broken the 1900’s illusion (along with cars, cell phones, stadiums, and the fact I didn’t park a penny farthing.)

Rode around Bainbridge Island today. While they have all sort of concerns about walkable and affordable housing, they are not worried about new waterfront mansions or giant houses replacing forest. In both the later cases every trip will be by car.

Bad cops are expensive.

As many of us watch the Big Game today, I am reminded that in the year of our lord 2022 the NFL had to pay $1 billion to players because it assumed black peoples had lower base IQs than white people when determining brain damage. www.npr.org/2021/10/20/1...

Seattle just dropped the latest corridors, neighborhoods centers, LR, and MR zoning changes. The zoning changes, minor as they are, will eliminate 3 out of 4 departures on a stacked flat building we’re working on. one-seattle-plan-zoning-implementation-seattlecitygis.hub.arcgis.com?utm_medium=e...

All of these environmental groups seem to forget that the alternative to urban growth isn’t no growth, it’s sprawl. Tell me, how bulldozing forest and fields helps orcas, and other plants and animals? How does more driving and more parking lots and more roads help the environment?

The SEPA exemption has saved so much time and money previously waisted on studies that go nowhere and helped get housing built faster. Sign in con to help that crucial reform from being rolled back.

An unprotected bike lane is really just a narrow parking spot.

A car got pulled over for failing to yield to me on my bike with kids using a crosswalk. I was shocked. I think this is the second time I have seen a driver pulled over for anything in 10+ years of living in SE Seattle.

If you want to see less housing built, requiring AC at $5-10k a unit is a great way to do it. This will kill projects at a time when it’s already difficult to build and will result in higher rent for everyone.

$750k for two bathroom stalls at Mt. Baker Playground. This is one reason Seattle can’t have nice things like public bathrooms. You could buy a townhouse and let people use the bathrooms for that much money. www.seattle.gov/parks/about-...

This project has greatly improved my family’s life. I use it nearly every work day to get my kids safely to daycare. It has made it safer to bike and walk to get groceries, coffee, library books, and more.

This seems like such a non-issue. If a logo will help lease space the go for it. I’ll save my outrage for more important things, of which there are many.

Early Sunday morning, a driver struck and killed a 38-year-old named Allie who was biking across Beacon Ave S. The driver fled the scene. As a lifelong cyclist who’s had my share of close calls, my heart goes out to Allie’s family and friends.

So: @theurbanist.org is holding our holiday party next Tuesday, which is also our biggest fundraiser of the year. I'll be there, and if you spring for the VIP ticket you even get to hear me make some remarks about how pivotal Urbanist reporting will be in 2026. www.eventbrite.com/e/the-urbani...

All you paid protesters out there better watch out. Sen. Christian is coming for you this session.

Seattle voters in a nutshell: we need more housing options, but also let’s tax the folks who will provide those options.

My Northwest is doing its best to start blaming Katie Wilson for things happening while Bruce Harrell is still mayor. Can’t wait to see what they say when she’s actually in office.

Fuse can gloat all they want, but Amazon is shipping every job it can to Bellevue (the real HQ2). It’s already down 10k employees in Seattle, up to 14k in Bellevue, and laying the ground work to move a lot more. This means less revenue for Seattle and probable a lot more driving.

A whole lot of Seattle council members are convinced you can’t build on hills. Maybe they should walk around Capitol Hill or Queen Anne sometime.

Guys please come to the comp plan hearing Friday, I’m begging you besties

I was going to post about how amazing it was that I can now ride from Beacon Hill to South Park to Georgetown to downtown almost entirely in PBLs. But instead I’ll post this picture of a guy who smashed into the bike lane seconds after I rolled through:

For some reason @seattledot.bsky.social has geofenced the streets of Yesler Terrace so bike share bikes lose most power just as you hit the hills. Meanwhile the cars are all going 25+. I with SDoT didn’t see bikes as a bigger threat than cars.

Another great parking job by @seattledot.bsky.social, blocking the entire sidewalk next to the light rail station. It’s telling about their priorities.

Overheard on Beacon Hill: “You can’t drive downtown anymore because of all the bike lanes!” and “Bike lanes make it more dangerous for bikers.” Of course said by someone who probably hasn’t rode a bike since they were 7.

We have no trees on our property (our backyard is townhouses) but live on a tree lined street (15th Ave S) and it’s wonderful. We have beautiful trees outside our window and a shady front yard. CM Moore doesn’t know what she’s taking about.

Here is the alternative to urban development. Tree activists trying to stop new infill development aren’t just anti-housing, they’re anti-tree.

What @nondriver.bsky.social said a thousand times over. Let's get rid of the "passing lane." Use it for a bike lane, turn it into parking, fill it with rocks. Let's make it harder to speed along a street that is a light rail corridor and that cuts the Rainier Valley in two.

I just heard @markusja.bsky.social giving a great presentation before the Washington Building Code Council on how to make it cheaper and easier to build middle housing. He did the job they seem unable to do despite being told to by @davina425.bsky.social, @jessdbateman.bsky.social, and others.

SDOT recorded cars going up to 70 mph on Rainier. The solution? Paint and post and flashing beacons. I’m sure that will fix the problem…

Klondike Gold Rush National Park center in Pioneer Square is slated to be closed by the Trump Administration. A loss for our city: www.npca.org/articles/707...

@sound-transit.bsky.social I took a stroller into Pioneer Square Station. One elevator is closed with no information about alternate routes, the other was filled with piss and a wet floor sign. If you’re going to tell folks to not take the stairs, get you house in order first.

I sent a comment and so can you!

The Victor Steinbrueck Park closure it a crime against the city. It’s a public space and people should be able to use it. I hope this is getting someone to consider reform of the Historical Commission, because they are clearly out of control. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

We have a monthly meetup on the 20th at Big Time Brewery! www.theurbanist.org/2025/02/11/j...

There is no hope for Seattle if we can’t stop letting cars park in Occidental Square, one of our finest (and only) plazas:

How is Dow Constantine in the running Sound Transit CEO? He is a political hack with no transit system expertise who has spent years adding cost and delay to our much needed rail expansion. The fact he is in the running proves how unserious the ST board is. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Ann Davis has another challenger for the city attorney position: www.voterouse.com?fbclid=IwZXh...

I think of this every time I see a flexpost that has clearly been run over many times. SDOT thinks the paint on a car is more important that a biker's life. That or they just prefer that delivery vehicles park in bike lanes.

If @adamsmith.house.gov is meeting with Chris Rufo he’s lost my vote forever.

You wanna speak up for more housing in Seattle? Tomorrow is a big opportunity to tell the city to welcome new folks and let more homes be built: oneseattleforall.org/events/

The urbanists may have a publication (@theurbanist.org with all of 3 paid staff), but the NIMBYs have the Seattle Times!

The Seattle Paradox: we are blessed with enlightened voter who will tax them selves to pay for big projects, and cursed by small minded leaders who squander every opportunity they are given to do great things. See also social housing.

What Seattle’s mayor means when he says “Space Needle Thinking”:

overwhelmed by disappointing leaders & reactionary neighbors? experiencing existential dread? come hang out tomorrow! let's talk about what we can do together to try and steer us to a more livable future. casual & friendly - all are welcome. we'll be upstairs 💞 www.meetup.com/west-seattle...

Seattle is being run by the most uninspired people. They are going to doom us to years more of high housing inflation.

If blue states can’t figure out how to grow their housing supply and economy then democrats better figure out how to flip some states. If neither of those happen we can look forward to republican control of the presidency for a long time.

Seattle people be sure to get your pro-more neighbors comments in about the comp plan! The NIMBYs are organizing:

While Seattle has been moving backward on its streetcar connector, Portland had been moving forward on an extension: www.kgw.com/article/news...

If you all appreciate the work that The Urbanist does and the positive effect they have had on our region as bet the years then please join us for our 10 year anniversary celebration and fundraiser: www.theurbanist.org/2024/10/29/j...