Zoning can be a bit of a snoozer. It’s a wonky topic with a high learning curve thanks to lots of legalese and acronyms — HALA! MHA! TOD! But getting a handle on it can help us get smarter about something pretty critical: how our city grows. “Education is so important along land use,” says Laura Loe, […]

It’s no secret that housing is a big deal in Seattle. As our region’s grown, so has the magnitude of our county’s homelessness crisis. Will the shiny new apartment towers be balanced out with enough more affordable housing? That feeling of urgency prompted reader J.J. to ask us this question… “Why can’t the City of Seattle just take land […]

Little Saigon is constantly bustling. Chinese and Vietnamese eateries dot this historic area for Asian refugees and immigrants. Markets, cultural centers, and small businesses also line the blocks. But like many other Seattle neighborhoods, Little Saigon, as well as the surrounding Chinatown-International District, is rapidly changing. Plans to redevelop old buildings threaten to displace long-standing […]

THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON has a bunch of fancy new dorms coming in, but what it needs is more affordable housing for students. I went to the University of Washington, and as an undergrad, my first off-campus apartment had backed-up plumbing, a washing machine that reeked of mildew, and a backyard with a view of […]