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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.

Climate + Energy

Four Ways Gov.-elect Ferguson and Washington Lawmakers Can Build on the State’s Big Climate Win

After Washingtonians overwhelmingly voted to keep the Climate Commitment Act, their leaders have powerful opportunities ahead.
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Democracy + Elections

Montana: So Close to Better Elections

Primaries featuring more choice for voters and candidates almost became the law in Big Sky Country.
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Democracy + Elections

Almost One in Three Idahoans Wanted Open Primaries and Instant Runoff Elections

In the reddest patch of Cascadia, a sizable minority of voters wished for a system to thwart spoilers, promote cooperation, and allow participation beyond partisan labels.
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Democracy + Elections

Oregon Elections Will Continue to Suffer Spoiler Candidates

The state’s voters rejected Measure 117 to implement ranked choice voting in the state, though notably not in places where voters use ranked choice voting locally.
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Climate + EnergyFossil Fuel Transition

Correcting the Record on Initiative 2066

What the Seattle Times editorial board got wrong about the Washington ballot measure.
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Democracy + Elections

Portland Voters are Shifting into a Higher Gear

More choices mean more legwork but should lead to a more effective and representative government.
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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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One of Washington’s Anti-Climate Initiatives, 2066, Eked Out a Victory. Why?

And how leaders can still help families and businesses electrify for safer, cleaner buildings in line with the state’s climate values.
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Four Ways Gov.-elect Ferguson and Washington Lawmakers Can Build on the State’s Big Climate Win

After Washingtonians overwhelmingly voted to keep the Climate Commitment Act, their leaders have powerful opportunities ahead.
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Correcting the Record on Initiative 2066

What the Seattle Times editorial board got wrong about the Washington ballot measure.
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The Contradiction of a Split Vote on Washington’s Anti-Climate Ballot Initiatives

Initiatives 2066 and 2117 are closely linked, but polls and endorsements diverge.
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(Re)explaining Washington’s Climate Commitment Act

Understanding the cap-and-invest law that Washington Initiative 2117 would repeal.
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Alaska Supreme Court Upholds State’s New Election System

Top-four primaries and ranked choice voting will better serve Alaska’s complex electorate.
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Ditching Odd-Year Elections Would Give More Washingtonians a Say in Local Government

House Bill 1727 would do away with the elections that many voters forget.
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How Community Groups Can Shape Alaska’s Success on Ranked Choice Voting

The state election division’s budget for educating voters is modest. Nonprofits, community councils, affinity groups, and even book clubs can help.
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Proportional Representation Helps Candidates, Too

Tired of focusing on fundraising just to keep your campaign afloat? Voters aren’t the only ones who can benefit from fairer election systems.
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How Proportional Representation Gave American Voters Meaningful Representation in the 1900s

And how racial fears and the Red Scare stopped it in its tracks.
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When Elections Are Decided in the May Primary, Many Portlanders Don’t Have a voice in City Hall

Holding proportional races in November can change that.
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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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Backyard Homes Are Great for Owners of Small Homes

In Portland, almost one in six residential lots has a small detached home. Many of those 23,486 backyards would be great spots for more homes—if they were legal.
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Yes, Even Walmart Wants to Build Smaller Parking Lots

Retailers are responding to the boom in e-commerce. Shouldn’t cities’ parking codes change, too?
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18 Reasons Why Washington Should Legalize Middle Housing

The homes Washingtonians need, plus protecting the open lands, local economies, and close communities we cherish.
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Oregon Experiments with Healthy Homes Repair Fund

In the midst of climate crises, a more flexible approach to weatherization work takes shape.
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Confining Rental Homes to Busy Streets Is a Devil’s Bargain

Why Vancouver should allow more rental homes on quiet, local streets.
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Bogus “Historic” Districts: The New Exclusionary Zoning?

Interlocking loopholes would let homeowners in richer parts of Portland veto city council’s maps – but there’s a fix.
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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

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. 

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