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Weighing the Critiques of CarbonWA’s I-732
Note from Alan: As I explained previously, Washington’s Initiative 732 has divided climate hawks so deeply that even writing about it is a task we undertake with trepidation. (To get a sense of the landscape, please read the introduction to the first article in this series.) Organizations and individuals we respect and have collaborated with for decades—indeed, many personal friends of mine—are on opposite sides of the controversy. Sightline has...Read more » -
Seattle’s Housing Future Depends on a Mathematical and Political Balancing Act
The centerpiece of Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) is an innovative policy called Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA). Exemplifying HALA’s core principle of leveraging growth for affordability, MHA promises to fulfill almost a third of the city’s ten-year goal to produce 20,000 affordable homes. To get there, though, MHA must play nice with the unpredictable and dynamic world of private real-estate development, and that calls for a cautious approach to...Read more » -
And the Most Car-Sharing City in Cascadia Is…
Editor’s Note December 2016: Great news! BMW ReachNow car-sharing service has expanded its fleet to Portland with 360 vehicles and added 330 vehicles to its fleet in Seattle. We’ve updated the numbers below: Last month, BMW launched its car-sharing brand ReachNow in Seattle, expanding into North America from its half-million-member stronghold in Europe, and I’ll admit that even I, a car-free bike commuter, felt a little dzzzzt of mid-life thrill as I downloaded the...Read more » -
The United States Needs More Than Two Political Parties
I want a political party that represents my views. Like many Oregonians, Washingtonians, and a growing number of Americans, I’m not a Democrat, and I’m not a Republican. Independents—people who don’t identify with one of the two major parties—are the biggest and fastest-growing group of US voters. At last count, 40 percent of Americans considered themselves independent. The same is true in Cascadia: in Washington, an estimated 44 percent of...Read more » -
Exclusionary Zoning Robs Our Cities of Their Best Qualities
Seattle’s zoning has roots in racial and class exclusion and remains among the largest obstacles to realizing the city’s goals for equity and affordability. In a city experiencing rapid growth and intense pressures on access to affordable housing, the historic level of single-family zoning is no longer either realistic or sustainable. Strong words from the 2015 Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) report in support of its headline-grabbing recommendation...Read more » -
Weekend Reading 4/8/16
Keiko Is there lead exposure risk in your community? Find out here. Ta Nehisi-Coates is now writing comic books?! Black Panther features the first black superhero in mainstream American comics. Ta Nehisi-Coates gives you a behind-the-scenes look at this new Marvel comic book. Anna You knew this already, but here are more damning details: Fossil fuel giants and their trade groups spend an estimated $115 million per year blocking climate policies. (And in...Read more » -
Weekend Reading 3/4/16
Kristin Nick Hanauer gives us a 21st century view of the economy: a healthy economy is one that is creating new solutions to human problems. To solve problems, we need a diversity of ideas and approaches. To foster more ideas, we need to give more people the opportunity to participate. Bill Gates had a good idea, but giving him tax breaks will not suddenly get him to have more ideas....Read more » -
Weekend Reading 2/26/16
Kristin Funny-shaped districts aren’t the problem with American voting. Electing one representative per district (funny-shaped or otherwise) is the problem. We can solve it with multi-member districts that ensure minority views get represented and it doesn’t matter who draws then district lines. Yes, yes, and more yes. The Brennan Center’s Democracy agenda: Voting rights, money in politics, and redistricting. (Lots to read—all of it good stuff.) Wondering how much climate pollution...Read more » -
Portland May Offer a Parking Win-Win-Win
Here in Southeast Portland, many of my neighbors are concerned about parking. In particular, they worry that new residents in the apartment buildings popping up along SE Division and other major corridors will park on the street, taking spots away from neighbors living in single-family homes. When I suggest that the solution to their dilemma is to charge for curb parking, they look at me like I am crazy. The...Read more » -
Weekend Reading 1/8/16
Alan William A. Galston and Elaine C. Kamarck, both Brookings scholars and veterans of the (Bill) Clinton administration, have an intriguing critique of American capitalism in the fall edition of Democracy. Their accusation is short-termism—a fixation on near-term results at the expense of the future. Their argument, furthermore, is refreshingly practical. It puts the blame squarely on laws, regulations, and other institutional factors that have, together, cut private sector investment...Read more »