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Researching the region’s most pressing sustainability challenges

We provide citizens and decision-makers with the policy analysis and practical tools they need to advance an economy and way of life that are environmentally sound, economically vibrant, and socially just.

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All Sightline Institute research is available to you to cite, use, and share, per our free use policy.

Housing + Cities

What’s Happening on Housing in the US Federal Government?

The federal budget, Congressional bills, and more DC strategies: a presentation by Up for Growth.
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Housing + Cities

Winning Abundant Housing: Japan and New Zealand

In all the industrial world, Japan has perhaps the best housing economy and New Zealand may have the worst. What lessons do they offer to teach other places?
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Housing + Cities

Tenants’ Rights in Our Backyard—and Tenants in Our Coalition, Too

Jamey Duhamel (Portland Bureau of Transportation), Tram Hoang (Housing Justice Center), and moderator Shelby King (Shelterforce) share their experiences in housing accessibility and tenants’ rights advocacy.
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Housing + Cities

You’re a YIMBY? Great, Why Aren’t You a Small Developer Yet?

Payton Chung (Westover Green LLC), Nicholas Papaefthimiou (infillPDX LLC), and Neil Heller (Neighborhood Workshop) break down what it takes to build small-scale infill housing.
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Housing + Cities

West Coast Case Studies: Advocacy for and Implementation of Legislation for Regional Housing Needs

Representative Julie Fahey, Lorelei Juntunen (ECONorthwest), Jamie Ptacek (Futurewise), and Aaron Eckhouse (California YIMBY) compare and contrast how Washington, Oregon, and California require local governments to plan for housing in a YIMBYtown 2022 panel.  
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Housing + Cities

Welcome to YIMBYtown!

“We’re winning.”
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Explaining Washington’s Ballot Initiative 2066

Four ways the initiative could affect Washington.
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Hydrogen Is Sneaking Its Way Into Oregon Homes

Oregon laws can catch up to protect customers.
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The Northwest’s Electric Grid Deserves an Upgrade

Up to 40 percent of the region’s grid could be suitable for reconductoring—for less than half the time and cost of building new transmission lines.
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Five Ways Ranked Choice Voting Could Help Climate Action

A functioning democracy is essential to tackling any large-scale issue.
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Washington State Leads in Climate-Friendly Building Policies—For Now

How two ballot initiatives would affect Washington’s clean building efforts and how the state can maintain its lead.
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Washingtonians Will Soon Enjoy Cleaner Heating and Cooling Options

HB 2131, to allow thermal energy networks, unanimously passed in the 2024 legislative session. It’s a win for consumers, the climate, pipeline workers, and electric grids.
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The History of Washington’s Wandering Election Day

Despite intending to choose a voting day that’s best for voters, timing could still be easier—and legislators can fix that.
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A Magic Boost for Low-Turnout City Elections

Seattle’s 2024 special city council election showed just how easily local voter participation could skyrocket.
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Reintroducing: Your Local Library, a Critical Tool for Democracy

A Q&A with author and advocate Shamichael Hallman on how public libraries can help us rebuild civic trust and connection—if we redefine our relationship with them. 
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Election Reform Measures Lost; Election Reform Didn’t

What to learn—and what to leave behind—from the 2024 ballot measure losses in Cascadia.
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Alaskans Keep Their Model Election System

The open primaries and ranked choice voting that have delivered more representation for independents and moderate Republicans survived a repeal effort. 
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Portland Election Delivers City’s Most Representative Council Ever

Proportional ranked choice voting lived up to the promises of the voter-approved charter reform.
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Herbicide Use on Washington Wheat Fields Has Quadrupled. Tech Could Slash That.

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The Tilling Catch-22: Erosion vs. Superweeds

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Agroforestry Could Help Cascadia’s Farmers and Dwindling Salmon Populations

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Adapting to Climate Change Means Farmers Need Each Other More Than Ever

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Oregon Legislature Considers Pesticide Reform Bills

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EPA Slow to Regulate Neonic Pesticides That May Be Killing Off Bees

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Parking Reform Alone Can Boost Homebuilding by 40 to 70 Percent

More evidence that parking flexibility is key to housing abundance.
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Three Ways Anchorage Leaders Could Unlock More Homes

The ordinances under consideration offer commonsense solutions to address the city’s longstanding housing shortage.
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Parking Mandates Are Keeping Kids Out of Daycare

But cities can ditch these arbitrary rules and help families out of the daycare desert.
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In Race after Race, People Keep Electing Pro-Housing Politicians

Contrary to some misconceptions, most voters seem to understand that housing is good.
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To Fix Inclusionary Zoning, Fund It

Lessons from places that are solving the biggest problem in abundant housing politics and policy.
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Vancouver Shows Just How Much it Costs to Ban Apartments

Driving problems from inequality to sprawl to pollution, restrictions against anything but single-detached houses have to go.
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Video: Housing Solutions Are Climate Solutions

In 90 seconds, how zoning for more home choices in our cities helps affordability and cuts climate pollution.
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Poll: Washington Voters Out Ahead Of Local Leaders On Zoning Reforms

Statewide survey shows broad voter receptivity—across partisan, demographic, and geographic lines—to zoning changes to allow more homes like duplexes and small apartment buildings.
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Video: Zoning for All Kinds of Affordable Homes

Cities need all kinds of affordability, both subsidized housing and naturally affordable, modest-sized, market-rate homes.
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Recipes for Successful Abundant Housing Communications

In this panel discussion, three expert communicators share how they’ve crafted compelling narratives, engaged coalitions, and garnered press attention for housing affordability and climate policy.
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How to Tear Down the Invisible Walls in Your City’s Zoning Code

10 tips for zoning reformers from a town that legalized housing.
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Americans Want to Vote As Trump Does (By Mail), Not As He Says

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Sightline news picks

Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Cut through the noise and get the news you can use. Sightline editors—real people—hand-pick headlines from 150+ outlets to keep you on top of the stories shaping our region’s communities, economy, and environment. Reader favorite; formerly known as Sightline Daily. 

Sightline weekly

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Only have a few minutes each week? Our weekly wrap-up delivers the latest Sightline research and solutions, plus top headlines to keep movers and shakers in the know. 

Sightline month in review

End of the month.

Get a month’s worth of solutions research and key headlines, plus a personal note from a Sightline team member connecting the dots and putting our work into the larger news context. 

Issue insights from Sightline experts

Hear directly from our team of experts. They take you on a deeper dive into Sightline’s solutions, translating their latest analysis and sharing behind-the-scenes context for the research—as well as what to watch for next. Delivered about monthly.

Housing + Cities

Parking, zoning, sprawl, pollution, property rights, commutes, rents, and home prices—they all intersect where a legacy of exclusionary rules and regulations restrict homebuilding and fuel our housing shortage. Hear from Dan Bertolet, Catie Gould, Michael Andersen, and others exploring solutions for low-carbon, affordable, accessible cities and towns.  

Climate + Energy

From electrification to decarbonization, carbon pricing to grid upgrades, Emily Moore and team decode the policy solutions to power a greener, more equitable, and robust economy for the region’s future.  

Democracy + Elections

Protecting voter choice and voice with clear-eyed, independent analysis and models of success—Alan Durning, Jay Lee, Shannon Grimes, Al Vanderklipp, and others send you the latest elections solutions and opportunities, from Alaska to Oregon and inland to Montana and Idaho. 

Farms + Forests

Where sustainability meets stewardship of our natural resources and food systems. Get dispatches from actual farms and forests—and the policy discussions that determine their health and climate impacts. 

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