Vancouver's congested streets can be maddening but at least they near-gridlock makes it easier for pedestrians and bicyclists, as Hugeasscity writes. I've got a couple quibbles.
For one, I will definitely drive in Vancouver again. SkyTrain is great but only if you go where it goes. My recent trips took' [...]
Here in Cascadia we're used to hearing that this is among the world's most livable places. But what about opportunity?
Vancouver regularly tops international rankings and Portland is a media darling for its hipster qualities and great refreshments. One shared feature of supposedly "livable" cities is that not many' [...]
I've been meaning to post this for days: why is Vancouver's art scene better than Seattle's?
Is writer Jen Graves right? Honestly I'm not sure how much of it is just the "grass is greener" thing, but the provocation is much needed. She offers a few sensible suggestions, starting with' [...]It looks like the Canadian bureaucracy is STILL dragging its feet on adding needed rail service between Vancouver and Seattle.
Meanwhile in Washington, legislators are planning to cut improvements that would make Amtrak faster and more reliable, while allowing more trains in the future. Seattle Transit Blog has the [...]The Port of Seattle Commission recently reversed itself, voting to not increase its property-tax levy on the homeowners throughout King County. Why?
The Seattle Times credited testimony by the Municipal League and individual taxpayers at a Commission hearing. This op-ed had previously appeared in the paper:
Port of [...]
Sea-Tac's third runway just opened , after two decades and a billion dollars. Now some say the Seattle area needs another airport.
But we're better off encouraging a single major airport (especially if it's conveniently connected to high-speed rail for Vancouver-Portland travelers). Consider Heathrow and this letter' [...]
It's been a while but I can't stay quiet any longer. The reason? There's a report out today with a couple dozen recommendations to improve Metro Transit.
The biggest deal is calling for a Metro -- which serves the 1.9 million people of King County -- to design its service around where [...]
I stopped by a forum on the proposed extensions of Seattle's streetcar yesterday afternoon -- and heard more objections to the idea of a citywide network than vision to make such a system work.
At question is the idea of extending Seattle's stunted 1.3-mile line to actually go somewhere. It [...]
Just after paying my $145 monthly telecom bill, I noticed this Wall Street Journal story about how cities nationwide are trying to promote faster broadband Internet service.
The problem is that much of the U.S. is falling behind other industrialized economies in terms of Web access [...]
It's easy to argue that one of Seattle's darkest days was when the Music Hall theater was destroyed downtown to make way for a parking lot.
But it's usually harder to define what buildings deserve protection. There are a few ideas in this article in the Seattle P-I.
One point [...]
If you're curious about what kind of development will shape Seattle's future, increasingly the one place to turn for free, timely information is The Stranger's blog.
At a time when metropolitan dailies like The Seattle Times are almost giving up on coverage of neighborhoods, the blog is a huge help [...]
Vancouver wants to dramatically boost its Washington-bound exports of one product it has too much of: trash.
And why not? Canadians would pay more to cover the cost of sending trash trains to a landfill on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, helping the economy of rural Klickitat County, [...]
This site has been on temporary hiatus recently while I've been spending time with the Municipal League of King County, a nonpartisan group that aims make public policy in the Seattle area more efficient.
Check out me wearing my Municipal League hat in this interview on Comcast:
The event I [...]
I published an op-ed in the Seattle Times today advocating variable pricing for roads as a method to lessen congestion.
The idea of charging more during crowded times and less when fewer cars are on the road is nothing new to me (see this [...]
This week British Columbia passed North America's first carbon tax, a big step toward tying sustainability, transportation and market forces. Why can't the rest of Cascadia build on the example?
The tax has been in the works for a while but I missed the passage until I arrived in [...]
Seattle is about to get its first nonstop flights to northern British Columbia -- another step toward integrating Cascadia.
Alaska Airlines will fly to Prince George, a city 500 miles north of Vancouver at the heart of B.C. timber and mining industry. Unless [...]
Americans hear almost nothing about politics in Canada. Maybe it's mutual.
I found just one story in B.C. media about today's caucuses in Washington. There's some explanation of the arcane process but little about what the race means for the region:
University of Victoria graduate student Jeremy Wood, wearing a "Canadians [...]
The quasi-national primary on Tuesday puts votes from the Northwest in play far more than anyone expected.
For one thing, the split Clinton/Obama results make Washington's caucuses this Saturday meaningful. The Web is aflutter with news of impending visits and campaign spin.
Here's the most interesting analysis of the [...]
If you like in-flight yoga, it's a good day. You'll soon be able to fly nonstop to China from Seattle on an airline that offers that amenity.
The new flight to Beijing on Hainan Airlines is the latest increase between the two countries and the latest of several [...]
I missed President Bush's State of the Union speech tonight because I was reading about how much the world has changed since he took office.
It's worth reading this article from the Sunday New York Times Magazine, which shows how the world [...]
Planners in the Portland area are divvying up land for long-term agricultural use and for development. The idea is to get beyond arguments over the region's growth management boundaries.
Farmers and developers -- often at odds on land-use issues -- say the change could provide long-term stability by preserving large [...]
Sending money between the U.S. and Canada ranks with border delays and underdeveloped transportation infrastructure as obstacles facing regionally minded Cascadia citizens.
Recently I tried to pay a bill in Canada by sending C$113 from Seattle to Victoria. Apparently I ran afoul of post-9/11 [...]
The Seattle area took a big step toward better mobility with a deal to put a railroad line through the Eastside under public ownership.
The old freight line is the only unused corridor straight through the booming suburbs, so preventing it from being sold [...]
Politicians and media appear to be coming around (finally) to the idea that Seattle's waterfront viaduct shouldn't be replaced with another freeway.
Cascadia Report made the case last winter for a combination of transit and comprehensive street improvements to replace the earthquake-damaged eyesore. Gov. Gregoire and Mayor Nickels were among [...]
A few weeks ago, during a long weekend in New York, I found myself wandering Manhattan on a Monday. All the usual museums were closed so I tried a small gem of an exhibit on the life and accomplishments of Jane Jacobs.
Jacobs [...]
Critics of plans for taller buildings in Seattle's South Lake Union area have it exactly backward.
If anything, the city should encourage more building in the area, creating demand for transit rather than encouraging sprawl. Instead critics want to soak the developer [...]
It's refreshing to see a story in the Seattle Times today about how Washington risks losing out on the economic benefits of the 2010 Olympics.
Cascadia Report has mentioned this issue many times, including here and here (and don't forget the Olympics category here).
There are a few [...]
The Tyee has an interesting article questioning the benefits for the Vancouver area of a new software research center in Richmond, B.C. There are some smart comments too.
To me, this seems like a trend B.C. should support. Obviously the U.S. and Canada are very different labor markets, especially [...]
The booming Seattle area is struggling to define itself. That's why it's curious that urban design seems overlooked in the latest regional awards by the American Institute of Architects.
For last Monday's ceremony there were nearly 200 entries for designs, from residential to industrial. But in the category of [...]
My arches still ache from traipsing to eight election parties last night in downtown Seattle in To Boot loafers.
The vote tallies were depressing (and today's stock-market sell off and continuing slump in the U.S. dollar didn't help the mood). A few takeaways:
-- People don't want "politics" and compromise. I held [...]
A day after the onslaught of standard time, it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to fly nonstop to Germany. But thanks to Lufthansa at least Seattleites (and anyone doing international business) will have the option.
The Sea-Tac-to-Franfurt nonstop announced today is the latest increase in air service since the Port [...]
The Omnivore's Dilemma is playing out now in Congress over the latest package of farm subsidies.
In an excellent op-ed in the New York Times, the author of that book makes a clear case against current agricultural policy. And then he turns the tables:
How could this have happened? For starters, [...]
Seattle announced Monday that it managed to cut emissions of greenhouse gases over the last 15 years. Too bad emissions from cars are bound to continue rising.
Meanwhile in British Columbia there's serious talk of a policy that could really make a difference: a carbon tax. The proposal would [...]
How does Seattle greet visitors? If they get off a flight at Sea-Tac's gate N-15, the answer is with a dingy jetway that has a severely waterstained ceiling, discolored walls and wet wood between the floor joints.
The dark and crowded North Satellite terminal was [...]
The tax package to fund transit and roads in the greater Seattle area, known as Prop. 1, is a compromise: there are details for everyone to hate. I may be holding my nose, but I'm voting yes.
Consider what the measure does: it raises [...]
There's a nice elegy in the Seattle P-I today marking the 25th anniversary of the death of the poet Richard Hugo.
The author of "The Real West Marginal Way" captured the city in a way that may not be possible now that the area is more grown up. That [...]
People in Toronto have a crazy way of getting around the city: streetcars.
After a few days of enviously watching streetcars move through traffic-clogged streets (they have right of way), I finally snapped this picture on King Street.
There's momentum to expand streetcars in Cascadia, [...]
I just noticed this article in Vancouver magazine, pointing out the need to make the city serve its residents rather than just tourists, planners and the people who create "most-livable city" lists.
The writer finds fault with Vancouver's regional government system (exactly what Seattle lacks):
One of the biggest [...]
Think the Seattle condo market is going out of hand? Consider Vancouver.
"I summer in THE HAMPTONS... I winter in ASPEN. My home, THE RITZ-CARLTON, VANCOUVER." That's the seductive tag line in a full-page ad on the back of the A-section of Thursday's Globe and Mail Ontario edition.
[...]
A boat owner wants to start ferrying commuters between Seattle and Gig Harbor for $800 a month.
The reason the idea isn't totally laughable is that new tolls, increasing road congestion and higher gas prices are beginning to reflect the actual cost of driving:
Dividing $800 by 20 workdays [...]
The Seattle area needs a variety of measures to fix its transportation woes (light rail, buses, streetcars, etc). Never mind that many people are waiting for a perfect, inexpensive, painless solution.
Instead, consider what works in Amsterdam:
Within the center of Amsterdam, trams are the kings of the [...]
Seattle doesn't have anything like the Downtown Eastside, Vancouver's slum of addicts and homeless. But judging from the line outside a shelter on Belltown's 3rd Avenue Sunday, there's a serious poverty problem.
So what to do about it?
We could lament the disconnect between the poor on the streets and the [...]
Longing for the happy days of bargain meals, rooms and ski slopes in British Columbia? Get over it.
Today the U.S. and Canadian dollars reached parity for the first time since 1976. The greenback has slid more than 60 percent against the loonie in [...]
Vancouver, often named one of the world's most livable cities, didn't get that way by accident. It took a series of not-so-obvious decisions.
A former British Columbia premier and a longtime urban planner just released a book describing their list of nine [...]
Pumping some new life into the Bumbershoot festival should be incentive for fixing the outmoded Seattle Center, the main park in the middle of the city.
Yes, some of this year's shows were great. On Saturday I loved The Gourds at Mural Amphitheater ("Starbucks Stage") and The Moth [...]
There are reports that delays to cross the Canada-U.S. border are longer than ever, jeopardizing trade and tourism.
It's unclear if the waits are due to wise security measures, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's "gut feeling" that a terrorist attack is on the way, or just bureaucracy. [...]
Vancouver residents might be frustrated with traffic and high rent but don't tell The Economist, which just named the city as the most livable in the world.
Such an accolade for Vancouver isn't really news. But it's curious because it's based on a weighted index of 40 factors such [...]
Never mind the snazzy drawings of Acela trains below -- service in Cascadia is getting a temporary setback while Amtrak deals with equipment problems.
On Saturday I was driving north on a (very congested) I-5 near Nisqually when one of the Cascades trains passed overhead. But instead of the modern [...]
It's old news that Portland's skyline is growing. Here's a cool tool to see it.
Obviously Cascadia's cities aren't alone. Here's a look at how some of it may be funnelled in downtown Seattle. And in Vancouver.
[...]The combination of airline delays and Amtrak's increasing ridership is generating goodwill that could lead to more support for passenger rail, according to a report in today's Wall Street Journal.
Over the last 10 months, ridership on Amtrak's fast Acela trains in the Washington-Boston corridor [...]
I just got around to reading this Steve Lopez column about the booming development in downtown Los Angeles. There's plenty we could borrow, like pocket parks and integrating transit.
We're all for letting market forces drive development, but we could use some vision for coordinating projects in our own [...]
Tuesday is the primary election in Washington. Since I've been asked, here's how I voted.
For Seattle-area races, take a look at the Municipal League's ratings. I considered the League ratings (I participated in the final ratings), media reports and my own views:
Seattle City Council -- I'm looking [...]
The rift between the two sides of the Cascade mountains is well known. Now there's a new bone of contention: food.
Apparently the "100-mile diet" is catching on in Seattle, where some people aim to cut pollution by sourcing their food locally instead of shipping it from far away.
An [...]
As big votes on whether to fund more transit in the Seattle area loom this fall, consider this: It seems everybody else is doing it.
Planners in San Francisco want to give people alternatives to driving, including more train, ferry and bus service. Even Vancouver, Wash., may add streetcars. [...]
Seattle just got its best transportation-related news in years. Now state policy makers must act.
Seattle beat more than 20 metro areas competing for a federal grant to fund innovative solutions to traffic gridlock. Being named one of the five recipients means money to start tolling on 520, new buses, [...]
It's a shame that the Sonics appear destined to leave Seattle after their stadium lease expires. So what to do?
Considering the benefit of having pro sports (like great theater, music, restaurants, etc.), it makes sense for some public investment in a stadium. But any deal should be off [...]
For months, Seattle-area residents have been warned that the partial closure of northbound I-5 leading to downtown would result in an apocalyptic traffic jam stretching all the way to Tacoma. Instead commuters taught the region a lesson.
What happened? As the P-I put it, [...]
News that one of Seattle's oldest port customers is moving to Tacoma brought a variety of reactions. And unanswered questions.
The Port of Seattle seemed alarmed, saying Tacoma's wooing of NYK Line put the relationship between the ports at risk. Today Bill Virgin notes that, if they can't cooperate, [...]
Tacoma may set an example for other Cascadia cities with a comprehensive parking plan that includes provisions for more transit and bicycle facilities.
Best of all is talk of combining market forces and public investment to make the city work better. Here's how the city manager put it:
When it comes [...]
Getty Images is moving some of its headquarters functions from Seattle to New York City, reportedly because it's easier to do some international business there.
It begs the question: Is operating a global business from the Northwest a hardship? Nintendo plans to move. Six years ago, the departure [...]
Even the governor of Idaho is identifying steps that can be taken now to improve traffic congestion.
The Idaho Statesman reports that the anti-tax Republican plans to boost the number of employees who telecommute and to do more to eliminate daily trips. Unfortunately there's little talk of changing the car-dependent [...]
There are several mild surprises in the Municipal League's ratings of candidates for 26 races in the Seattle area.
The annual nonpartisan ratings, released Tuesday, are based on four criteria: Knowledge, Involvement, Effectiveness and Character. They assess each candidate's potential to be effective in office and ability to serve the community. [...]
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels wants to give more tax breaks to developers to encourage them to build moderately priced housing. But there are better ways to make housing affordable.
The mayor's plan would expand tax breaks for developers who build homes for people who earn middle-income wages. That's a well-intentioned [...]
What happens when a red-hot economy leaves the number of jobs and workers closely balanced?
In British Columbia and Alberta, workers are going on strike. There are a variety of issues behind the disputes but the underlying catalyst is that employees have the upper hand for the first time after [...]
Seattle's nascent light rail line was showered with praise this week -- in Vancouver.
The reason is the $50 million fund set up to help businesses impacted by construction of the light rail line through the Rainier Valley. Apparently there's no such support for business during construction of the [...]
An airline that offers only business class seats wants to start flights between Seattle and Shanghai, a surprise entry in the race for more connections to China.
Beginning in 2009, MaxJet would fly to Seattle and on to Los Angeles. The airline faces stiff competition from other U.S. airlines [...]
Suburban Federal Way picked a Vancouver developer to build a residential, retail and office complex with 22-story towers in its new downtown.
The project will bring more than 900 housing units to an area known for sprawling parking lots. Judging from images in the article above, the development will [...]
Take a quick spin around north Seattle by bicycle on a Sunday afternoon and you'll find missing links in bike routes, bike paths that abruptly end and almost 100 percent preference for cars along roads and at intersections.
For the clearest example [...]
A government plan that would close the door on transit in a rail corridor through Seattle's eastern suburbs is such a bad idea that private investors are reportedly considering a bid for the property.
The corridor -- from Renton to Snohomish -- could serve as a key link in [...]
The latest BusinessWeek has a summary of how Google convinced a poor North Carolina county to pay $212 million in exchange for siting a server farm there -- without even getting a guarantee of how long they would be there or how many locals they would employ. Poor suckers.
But [...]
Tacoma has had it with pr. Now it needs to close a sale.
After years of promotion as a tech-savvy livable city, it's now looking for a team that can actually lure investment and jobs.
[...]Collecting transit fares costs a lot of money, funds that could be better spent adding service. That's the conclusion of this interesting report at TheTyee.ca.
The report considers Vancouver and several transit systems in the Northwest and around the country. For King County Metro, the costs of fare collection [...]
Forbes magazine ranked Washington the fifth best state in the country to do business and says the situation here is improving:
The biggest mover (tied with Tennessee), rising from 12th to fifth place, Washington is also the only state to finish in the top five in three main categories (labor, [...]
While infrastructure bottlenecks constrain shipping at Cascadia ports, plans are moving ahead for a brand-new container facility -- one big enough to eventually handle as much freight as Tacoma's.
Oregon's legislature recently approved a $60 million package to dredge the harbor at Coos Bay over the next five years. The [...]
Tide-driven power turbines may be coming to Puget Sound. The Snohomish County energy utility is beginning research into installing generators that could power 60,000 or more homes.
The studies would inform debate over harming the already troubled ecosystem:
The modeling could also show whether the turbines could affect tidal currents in [...]
Sea-Tac hosted the signing of the latest U.S.-China air treaty yesterday, but it's unlikely to host flights between the countries anytime soon.
So the question for Seattle is whether courting a Chinese carrier makes more sense than waiting to lure a top-flight international airline. Both [...]
