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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.

Our Work

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

Housing + Cities

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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Democracy + Elections

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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Democracy + Elections

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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Democracy + Elections

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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Democracy + Elections

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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Climate + Energy

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.
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Five Reasons That Expanding the Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline Is Still a Colossal Mistake

And no, it’s not a solution to Europe’s dependency on Russian oil.
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Pacific Northwest States Paid $700 Million for Russian Oil Last Year Alone

Cascadia’s oil imports and Russia’s war.
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Responsibly Sourced Gas: Boon or Boondoggle?

A new certification measures the industry’s marginal progress, while buyers should keep their eyes on the true clean energy prize.
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New WA Bill Would Hold Big Oil Accountable for Oil Spills

HB 1691 protects taxpayers from the cleanup costs that should be the responsibility of the oil industry.
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With Oil Unreliable, Refinery Communities Deserve a Transition Plan

Whatcom and Skagit leaders can help their communities plan the futures they want.
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Centralia, a Fossil Fuel Transition Success Story

And a transition model for communities like Anacortes, Ferndale, and Tacoma.
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With Ranked Choice Voting Coming to Washington State, It’s Time to Coordinate Rollout

State legislators can support local jurisdictions with streamlined implementation guidelines.
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One Year In and One Year Out: An Update on Portland Charter Reform

For followers of democracy reform, Portland offers a rough blueprint.
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In Every Washington City, Odd-Year Elections Crush Voter Turnout

And state law keeps it that way.
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Idaho, Montana, and Washington Could Save $30 Million by Moving Local Elections to National Election Day

A preliminary estimate of potential cost savings from municipal election consolidation.
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What Can Portland Learn from America’s Oldest Proportional Election System?

City Councilor Burhan Azeem shares his experiences from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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A Fairer Election System in Alaska Helped More Independents Win Office 

Open primaries and ranked choice voting likely led to greater political diversity in the Alaska legislature, while their effect on age, gender, and race was less apparent.
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Four Ways Context Matters for Wildfire News Coverage

Reporters can help people see the forest, even when the trees are on fire.
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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.
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What’s Misunderstood about Indigenous Cultural Fire Is Sovereignty

Lessons from the Karuk Tribe.
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Oregon’s Land Use Law Creates Wildfire-Adapted Communities

Bend residents have shown us how.
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The Best Wildfire Solution We’re Not Using

Three ways to curb the sprawl that traps us on a wildfire treadmill.
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We’re Stuck on a Wildfire Treadmill

And to escape, we need more fire, not less.
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Fighting the Freeway Industrial Complex and What It Means for Housing, Infrastructure, and Transit

Alex Contreras (Happy City Coalition), Adah Crandall (Sunrise Movement PDX and Portland Youth Climate Strike), and Martha Roskowski (Further Strategies) discuss their organizations’ advocacy work and the intersection of housing, the climate crisis, and transit in the push against freeway expansions.
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The Future of Historic Preservation

Social design artist Cleo Davis, Portland Historic Landmark Commission’s Kristen Minor, and moderator Steph Routh dig into the often controversial work of historic preservation and how the effort can and should be used to acknowledge all histories.
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Cultivating Business Leadership for Abundant and Equitable Housing

Two Portland-based civic leaders discuss how entrepreneurship and a better, more just urban form can go hand in hand.
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Equitable Schools Demand Equitable Neighborhoods

Building strong and diverse schools relies on building strong and diverse communities. Courtney Westling (Portland Public Schools), community advocates Scott Bailey and Dan Reed, and moderator Rachel Cohen (Vox) discuss the challenges in ensuring diversity in public schools amid gentrification, displacement, and school choice policies.
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Housing Abundance Requires Abundant Transportation

Alex Baca (Greater Greater Washington), Alex Contreras (Happy City Coalition), Amy Stelly (Claiborne Avenue Alliance), Jarrett Walker (Jarrett Walker + Associates), and moderator Michael Andersen (Sightline Institute) share their experiences in transportation advocacy and discuss how robust, effective, and efficient transit provides people with access to opportunity.
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Keeping Our Neighbors Housed: Humanizing Homelessness and Bringing Everyone to the Table

Mercedes Elizalde (Central City Concern), Cole Merkel (HereTogether), and Mindy Woods (Resident Action Project) discuss how to form coalitions to then build power and effect policy change on all levels so that everyone can have a safe and stable place to call home.
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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. 

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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. 

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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