Blogs

Thanks to everyone who attended our discussion about transit-oriented development last week—we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did. It was great to meet many of you in person!

We would also like to thank GGLO for being such a gracious host for our event, Seattle Transit Blog for co-hosting, and our speakers Tony Case, Dow Constantine, Sara Nikolic and Chuck Wolfe. Stay tuned for our next event in December.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development (DPD) released its biweekly land use information bulletin today. The following list provides the highlights. For more detailed information, click here.

Appeal of Belltown Development

The Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) has decided to shepherd at least one proposal through the legislature during the 2010 session. After evaluating three proposals based on the criteria established in the chapter's adopted Process for Proposing Legislation, the chapter's leadership will refine a package of proposed amendments to the subarea plan adoption statute. 

Proposal Summary:

Puget Sound Regional Council's (PSRC) Transportation Policy Board voted unanimously last Thursday to recommend adoption of the 2010-2013 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board. (For background information on the TIP review process, read Northwest Hub's coverage here.)

The water surrounding Seattle is picturesque, but it can make for tedious driving—especially when cars must wait at bridges for ships to pass underneath. 

Have you ever wondered why a long line of cars must wait for a single sailboat or two at bridges on the Lake Washington Ship Canal? John Buswell, roadway structures manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), has the answer on Seattle P-I's "Getting There":

About the Author: Randall Olsen is an attorney at the Buck Law Group ( a Northwest Hub sponsor), which is a land use, environmental, dispute resolution, and civil litigation firm based in downtown Seattle. Randall's practice focuses primarily on City of Seattle land use disputes and general civil litigation. You can reach him by sending an email to rolsen@bucklawgroup.com.

A new computer algorithm—developed at the University of Washington—is capable of reconstructing and digitizing an entire city from thousands of tourist photos in just one day.

In 21 hours, the algorithm analyzed 150,000 photos tagged with Rome or Roma on Flickr and combined them to create a 3-D digital model of the city. With the model, viewers can look at Rome’s landmarks such as the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Sistine Chapel.

Sound Transit is holding a groundbreaking for the new Kirkland Transit Center on Oct. 20.

Join Northwest Hub and Seattle Transit Blog on Thursday, Oct. 8 for a lively discussion about transit-oriented development (TOD). We'll hear from local design firm, Case Design + Project Management, about the opportunities and challenges of building TOD in South Seattle.

Next week, those interested in the future alignment of Sound Transit's East Link light rail line will have ample opportunity to hear about the status of the route selection process in Bellevue.