fbpx
Donate Newsletters

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.
Read More

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.
Read More

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.
Read More

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. 
Read More

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.
Read More

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.
Read More

123…478

Oil Refinery Profits, Taxes, and Spending: A Primer

The refining industry pays surprisingly little in taxes considering its massive profits.
Read More

Two Possible Futures for Northwest Oil Refining

One bleak, one hopeful, both dependent on our choices today.
Read More

Environmental Justice Advocates Lead Oregon to 100 Percent Clean Electricity Future

A just transition is picking up legislative wins in Salem.
Read More

The History of Northwest Refineries

Oil refining on Puget Sound is inextricably tied to the history of colonialism.
Read More

The Case for Retiring Northwest Oil Refineries

It is impossible to meet our climate targets without refinery retirement.
Read More

Cascadia’s Carbon Budget

Current legislative emissions goals are not consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.
Read More

1…7891011…236

Washington State Joins the Movement to Honor Voting Rights for All Community Members

Starting January 2022, all citizens will have the right to vote upon release from prison
Read More

Automatic Voter Registration Continues to Kick Ass in Oregon

94 percent of eligible voters are now registered to vote and kept up-to-date.
Read More

Becoming a Democracy: From Our Lips to Your Ears

A round-up of recent interviews about a better future for US democracy.
Read More

Alaska’s Lawmakers Have a Bipartisan Election Fix at Their Fingertips

Can Juneau show the rest of America how to make elections inclusive and secure?
Read More

A Top-Four Primary Would Give Voters More Choices

Read More

Let’s Make Alaska Absentee Voting Boring Again

Read More

1…1314151617…56

Four Ways Context Matters for Wildfire News Coverage

Reporters can help people see the forest, even when the trees are on fire.
Read More

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.
Read More

What’s Misunderstood about Indigenous Cultural Fire Is Sovereignty

Lessons from the Karuk Tribe.
Read More

Oregon’s Land Use Law Creates Wildfire-Adapted Communities

Bend residents have shown us how.
Read More

The Best Wildfire Solution We’re Not Using

Three ways to curb the sprawl that traps us on a wildfire treadmill.
Read More

We’re Stuck on a Wildfire Treadmill

And to escape, we need more fire, not less.
Read More

123…6

Bellingham’s Parking Reform Pilot Pays Off

Old Town’s first new building project has more than double the number of homes and less parking than the city’s old code would have allowed. The rest of the city might follow suit.
Read More

Seattle Deserves a Better Comp Plan

The city can make three critical fixes to its 20-year growth plan: Let middle housing be bigger, allow apartment buildings in more places, and legalize car-free homes everywhere.
Read More

Aging Solutions Are Climate Solutions

Adapting communities to better serve growing elderly populations also makes those places more climate-resilient. A new book charts the path to making this connection.
Read More

Boise’s New Zoning Code Sparks Surge in Permits for ADUs

Rules about who can live in them and where they can park were key barriers to backyard cottages.
Read More

It’s (Past) Time for British Columbia to Legalize Roommates

Another piece of the puzzle to make housing more affordable in the province—and keep up with southern neighbors Washington and Oregon.
Read More

Washington’s 2024 Short-Session Housing Wins

Three innovative bills carry forward the momentum of 2023 and complement its measures to legalize less expensive housing.
Read More

12345…123

Video: Housing Solutions Are Climate Solutions

In 90 seconds, how zoning for more home choices in our cities helps affordability and cuts climate pollution.
Read More

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.
Read More

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.
Read More

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.
Read More

How to Tear Down the Invisible Walls in Your City’s Zoning Code

10 tips for zoning reformers from a town that legalized housing.
Read More

Americans Want to Vote As Trump Does (By Mail), Not As He Says

Read More

123…28

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Timely digests

Join the 15,000+ readers who get Sightline Institute’s latest research, insights, and quips from our team delivered straight to their inbox. Always free, thanks to our community of generous supporters.

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

Saturday mornings.

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. 

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Sightline Institute’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Stay Informed

* indicates required
Select All Newsletters

By clicking ‘Subscribe’, I consent to receiving the above communication from Sightline Institute. I understand that I may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.