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.
Our Work
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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.
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.
A Magic Boost for Low-Turnout City Elections
Seattle’s 2024 special city council election showed just how easily local voter participation could skyrocket.
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. 
Election Reform Measures Lost; Election Reform Didn’t
What to learn—and what to leave behind—from the 2024 ballot measure losses in Cascadia.
Lessons for Washington State Leaders as Another US Oil Refinery Closes
In a state home to five oil refineries, a forthcoming, taxpayer-funded study can answer some central questions.
The High Cost of Unplanned Oil Refinery Closures
Measuring the employment and tax losses to communities and how oil companies are avoiding or delaying cleaning up their long-polluted sites. Plus, looking ahead for Washington state planning.
New Report Charts Need for WA to Plan Ahead for Oil Refinery Closures
A spate of recent shutdowns across the US holds urgent lessons for local communities.
Northwest States Need to Build New Power Lines, Fast
Otherwise, Oregon and Washington will miss critical climate targets.
Heat Pumps a Win-Win for Cascadia’s Now Hotter, Drier Summers
The heat dome bolstered the case for cleaner home cooling and heating technology and for decarbonizing the region’s economy.
The Pipeline Giant Behind Keystone XL Wants to Expand a Major Fracked Gas Pipeline in Cascadia
TC Energy is hoping no one will notice.
All You Need to Know About Alaska’s 2022 Special Election
FAQs on the extra-special special election.
Abundant Housing Requires Abundant Democracy
Candace Avalos (Verde Portland, Neighbors Welcome board member), Jeannette Lee (Sightline Institute), and moderator Alex Zielinski (Portland Mercury) discuss electoral reforms in Alaska and Portland, and their potential to affect housing policy.
Political Leadership for Abundant Housing
St. Paul councilmember Mitra Jalali, Former Oregon House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek, Washington state representative Jessica Bateman, and moderator Conor Dougherty (New York Times) discuss housing advocacy at local and state levels and how focusing on real people and their stories can unite coalitions around a common cause.
Portland Charter Commission Unanimously Advances Reform Proposals in Preliminary Vote
Voters could approve changes to the city’s elections and form of government this November.
Some of the Big Questions Left for Portland’s Charter Commission
The commission has a few loose ends to sew up before proposing ballot measures.
Our Maps Shouldn’t Lie About Our Votes
County-based red and blue breakdowns show numbers of acres, not voters. But in a democracy, it’s the people that should count.
Four Ways Context Matters for Wildfire News Coverage
Reporters can help people see the forest, even when the trees are on fire.
Blazing a Trail: The Vital Role of Wildfire Hazard Maps
Sophisticated and high-resolution maps such as Oregon’s are essential tools for thriving in a fiery future.
The Best Wildfire Solution We’re Not Using
Three ways to curb the sprawl that traps us on a wildfire treadmill.
Abundant Housing Requires Abundant Democracy
Candace Avalos (Verde Portland, Neighbors Welcome board member), Jeannette Lee (Sightline Institute), and moderator Alex Zielinski (Portland Mercury) discuss electoral reforms in Alaska and Portland, and their potential to affect housing policy.
Social Housing in Our Backyards: West Coast Campaigns Aim for Housing Access for All
Tiffani McCoy (Real Change and House Our Neighbors!), Darrell Owens (California YIMBY), and moderator Ned Resnikoff (California YIMBY) talk about campaigns for social housing and how this model can succeed in the US.
Showing Up for All Our Neighbors: YIMBY and Houselessness
Kaia Sand (Street Roots), Trisha Patterson (Portland: Neighbors Welcome), and moderator Hanna Brooks Olsen discuss the importance of government, organizations, and the unhoused working together and recognizing each other’s strengths and lived experiences to inform policies.
From Highways to Homes: The Opportunity to Reconnect Communities Divided by Freeways
Shawn Dunwoody (Hinge Neighbors), Regan Patterson (Congressional Black Caucus Foundation), Amy Stelly (Claiborne Avenue Alliance), Marc Wouters (Marc Wouters | Studios), and moderator Ben Crowther (Congress for the New Urbanism) discuss their efforts to remove freeways and replace them with thriving connected neighborhoods.
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.
Community Land Trusts in Our Backyards: A Key to Homeownership for Working Families
Kathleen Hosfeld (Homestead Community Land Trust) and Diane Linn (Proud Ground) provide a primer on a housing model that breaks barriers to permanently affordable homeownership.
Video: Housing Solutions Are Climate Solutions
In 90 seconds, how zoning for more home choices in our cities helps affordability and cuts climate pollution.
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.
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.
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.
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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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
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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.Â
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.
