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Alan Durning

Alan Durning, executive director, founded Northwest Environment Watch in 1993, which became Sightline Institute in 2006. Alan’s current topics of focus include housing affordability and democracy reform. He has also written about parkingMaking Sustainability Legalcar-free livingbike-friendlinesselectric bikes, and climate fairness. Alan has written or contributed to nine Sightline books, including Unlocking Home: Three Keys to Affordable CommunitiesCascadia Scorecard 2007Tax ShiftStuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things, and the award-winning This Place on Earth: Home and Practice of Permanence. Prior to founding Sightline, Alan was a senior researcher at Worldwatch Institute. There, he studied the human dimensions of sustainability and wrote the award-winning book How Much Is Enough?, as well as chapters in seven State of the World reports and articles in hundreds of other publications. A sought-after speaker, he has lectured at the White House, major universities, and conferences on five continents. In addition to his passion for sustainability, Alan is a music fiend and a lover of outdoor pursuits, especially mountaineering and cycling.

Alan Durning

Alan Durning

Latest articles

Election Reform Measures Lost; Election Reform Didn’t

Sooner or later, bad things happen to everyone. That’s inevitable. The problem is that people often learn the wrong lessons ...
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The Curious Case of Voters’ Pamphlets

Takeaways Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple. Consider ...
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Proportional representation in just three (brutally hard, agonizingly slow) steps!

In an old Irish joke, a lost traveler hollers to a farmer in a field for directions. The farmer ponders ...
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When Do Cities Hold Elections?

Takeaways In 24 US states, state law bans cities from adopting the single most effective technique for boosting voter participation—scheduling ...
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The Bizarre Red-Blue Politics of Election Consolidation

Proposals for election consolidation (moving local elections to the same November ballot as national elections) come from Republicans in red states and Democrats in blue states—a rare pattern of role reversals.
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The Election Calendar Is Cheating Idaho and Montana Voters

Takeaways Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are largely similar in their economies and politics, yet the first two lag Wyoming significantly ...
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In Every Washington City, Odd-Year Elections Crush Voter Turnout

Takeaways Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, Google, and Apple. In ...
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Idaho, Montana, and Washington Could Save $30 Million by Moving Local Elections to National Election Day

Takeaways Running local elections separate from national elections unnecessarily costs Cascadia tens of millions of dollars. Consolidating local elections in ...
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Hey, Olympia! If You Let Them, Cities Could Double Turnout in Local Elections

Takeaways Currently, Washington lags well behind Oregon in its turnout figures for local elections because Washington holds its local elections ...
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Voters Want Fewer Elections: Here’s How to Do That

Takeaways Consolidating elections to even-year, or “on-cycle,” elections, when high-profile races are on the ballot, is popular with voters and ...
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Washington Should Move All Elections to Even Years

Takeaways Voters in King County, Washington, will vote on November 8 on whether to move county elections from odd years ...
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In Seattle, Courts Might Reject Approval Voting . . .

Author’s note: A few weeks ago, I detailed why approval voting would be a risky venture for Seattle. Then, I ...
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