Opinion

Last Night: West Seattle Bowl

There was a time when bowling was as American as Cowboys and Indians. Now bowling balls are made in China.

01/21/2011 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Hugeasscityscapes

Winter in Seattle is a calm, but relentlessly cruel mistress. And she's got a fetish for drab buildings---concrete, best of all. Why do we enable her so?

01/16/2011 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Street Paint Is Really Expensive, Apparently

The intersection of 1st Ave and University St in downtown Seattle is one of the most prominent pedestrian crossings in the entire City. So, did SDOT run out of white paint, or what?

01/12/2011 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Hugeasscityscape for 2011

Because I have a daughter the same age as Christina-Taylor Green, the nine-year-old girl who was murdered during the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the tragic weight of the atrocity hit me hard.

01/10/2011 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Dead Tunnel Walking

With each passing day I'm becoming more convinced that there's no longer any need to decry the proposed deep-bore tunnel replacement for Seattle's Alaskan Way viaduct. Because the tunnel is already on death row. Not because the urban greens are winning (t

12/16/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Thank You Lewis Mumford

I often tell people that Lewis Mumford ruined my life...

11/25/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Why I Love Bikes, Snowpocalypse 2010 Edition

Another reason bikes are the best way to get around in a city: The snowstorm has had pretty much zero impact on my commute.

11/23/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Sizing Up South Downtown

South Downtown's biggest challenge is that much of the area lacks the full spectrum of uses that make up a complete neighborhood. Most importantly, there is a shortage of housing, and in particular, market-rate housing. The city is considering new zoning

11/22/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Rethinking The Opportunities At Capitol Hill Station

I can't be the only one who thinks that the current plan for future transit-oriented development at the Capitol Hill light rail station leaves something to be desired, can I?

11/17/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Prospects for Seattle's Transit Communities

The Seattle Planning Commission has just completed a new report called Seattle Transit Communities, to be officially launched (with beer) this Tuesday evening, and previewed here.

11/15/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Last Night

What could be more relaxing that sitting in a blindingly bright white room and being leered at by a giant orange frowny face while eating food delivered on a conveyor belt?

11/15/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Talk Is Cheap

Every member of Seattle's City Council will tell you that they believe the City should invest in infrastructure that promotes walking, biking, and transit and helps reduce car-dependence. Just don't ask them to make any hard choices to pay for it.

10/25/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Why I Ride A Bike

No, it's not because I'm trying to save the planet. It's because I'm selfish.

10/15/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Dreaming of A Universal Parking Impact Fee

Seattle, like most U.S. cities, faces a Catch-22 barrier to reducing car dependence: Buildings must have ample parking because there's no reasonable alternative to driving, but all that parking perpetuates travel habits and land use patterns that sabotage

10/12/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

There Is No Defensible Justification For The Public Subsidy Of Parking

Raising on-street parking meter rates to reflect market value is a dangerous idea, we're told, because it will coerce customers away from businesses in Seattle's commercial centers and send them to far-flung places where parking is cheaper or free. The un

10/11/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Copenhagen Just Built A Deep-Bore Tunnel

While many in Seattle's green urbanist community were railing against a deep-bore tunnel alternative to replace the Alaskan Way viaduct, Copenhagen, a vaunted international leader in urban sustainability, completed its own 2.5 mile long deep-bore tunnel b

10/06/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Last Night

Last Night: Hobnobbing With Seattle's Green Power Elite

A street closure, some hot electric cars, planning the green takeover of Seattle, bikes, and beer.

10/03/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

On The Wretchedness Of A Culture In Which People Get So Upset About Bicycles

The KIRO FM bike nazi rant in response to Seattle's first bike box was in large part just a PR stunt, but the truth is that in essence that rant is a pretty accurate representation of how mainstream America thinks.

10/01/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Portland vs. Seattle

Worldchanging's fundraiser this Friday night will feature the mayors of Portland and Seattle, a discussion not to be missed by the Seattle multitudes who suffer from Portland envy. And for those of you not properly feeling that envy, read this post and we

09/29/2010 By Dan Bertolet

Opinion

Only The Deep-Bore Tunnel Can Save Us From The Horrors Of City-Wide Gridlock!

It's the lie that won't die---the rampant, righteous belief among armchair transportation authorities like Joni Balter that the I-5-Surface-Transit alternative to replace the Alaskan Way viaduct would gridlock the City.

09/24/2010 By Dan Bertolet