How Cascadian Cities Can Be Smarter about Their Surplus Land
As cities across Cascadia look to technological solutions, such as modular construction, to help address the region-wide shortage of affordable housing, one of the biggest factors currently driving up costs ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Where Seattle’s Environmental Impact Statement Has Landed for Backyard Cottages
On Thursday, Seattle published its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on loosening regulations on mother-in-law apartments and backyard cottages—accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in wonkspeak. The endorsed set of rule changes ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Housing Advocates in Portland Just Did the Nearly Impossible
The most provocative housing policy event of this week in the Pacific Northwest started happening four months ago. That’s because, in May, Portlanders did something almost unheard of in the ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
No, Seattle’s Growth Boom Is Not a Tree Apocalypse
Since the end of the last recession, Seattle has consistently ranked among the fastest growing major US cities. Is all that growth leaving the Emerald City less emerald? Not really. ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Washington Voters Could Make History in 2018–and Keep Billions in Revenue in-State
People in Washington spend billions of dollars each year on dirty fuels. A big chunk of that money goes to out-of-state oil companies instead of staying in Washington to help ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
What Makes Portland’s New Apartments So Expensive?
An earlier version of this project was published in March by the Portland Tribune and KGW as part of the Open:Housing journalism collaborative. Everybody in the real estate business wants ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Weekend Reading 8/17/2018
Alyse Highlighting 5 Dutch cities, and numerous North American cities following their example, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett’s Building the Cycling City (coming out August 28) is an informative and enjoyable ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
How Backyard Cottages Could Help Close the Affordable Housing Gap
In Cascadia, a typical accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rents for about $1,300, affordable to a low- or middle-income household earning between 60 and 80 percent of the area median income ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Vancouver’s New Plan to Allow More Homes of All Shapes and Sizes
Cascadia’s three biggest cities—Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC—have all flirted in recent years with loosening the stranglehold of single-family zoning, rules that ban anything but detached houses on large lots ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Growing Seattle Ups the Ante on Green and Complete Streets
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Editor’s note: This is the fourth and final installment in a series on how trees and plants help to slow traffic, ameliorate climate change impacts and make growing cities more ...
