Recommended Reading#
Stay informed on Seattle and Pacific Northwest urbanism with these publications and writers. They cover transit, housing, land use, and local politics in depth.
Publications#
The Urbanist#
Founded in 2014, The Urbanist is a nonprofit advocacy journalism organization based in Seattle. Their mission is to “tell stories that inform and influence the public and their leaders” toward a vision of thriving, healthy, sustainable, and just communities in the Puget Sound region.
They cover transportation, housing, politics, land use, zoning, parks, architecture, and urban policy. The Urbanist emphasizes covering issues comprehensively that mainstream outlets often overlook, helping readers connect daily challenges to policy solutions.
Read: theurbanist.org
Seattle Transit Blog#
Seattle Transit Blog has been covering transit and land use in the Greater Seattle area since 2007. The blog provides comprehensive coverage of regional transit developments including Sound Transit’s Link light rail system, King County Metro bus services, and land use policies that affect urban transportation.
They also cover density and the urban form, bicycling, walking, and other forms of alternative transportation.
Read: seattletransitblog.com
The Northwest Urbanist#
The Northwest Urbanist is the professional blog of Scott Bonjukian, a practicing planner and urban designer in the Pacific Northwest. The blog covers urban planning and design topics including transportation, land use, megaprojects, parks, public space, and pedestrian safety.
The site also features CascadiaCast, a podcast with interviews with activists, politicians, planners, designers, and others covering challenges and opportunities urbanists face in the region.
Read: thenorthwesturbanist.com
Seattle Bike Blog#
Independent pedal-powered news and opinion covering cycling in Seattle since 2010. The blog reports on bike infrastructure projects, trail updates, safe streets campaigns, and transportation policy.
Read: seattlebikeblog.com
Publicola#
Seattle’s reader-supported source for deeply sourced coverage of local, state, and regional politics and policy since 2009. Publicola covers city hall, housing and homelessness policy, police accountability, elections, and urban development.
Read: publicola.com
Sightline Institute#
An independent, nonpartisan sustainability think tank based in the Pacific Northwest, working to make Cascadia a global model of sustainability since 1993. For urbanists, Sightline’s housing and cities research — covering zoning reform, parking mandates, and affordable housing policy — is particularly useful. All research is published under a free-use policy.
Read: sightline.org
Cascade PBS#
A nonprofit public media organization in Seattle that absorbed the online news publication Crosscut in 2015. Crosscut produced long-form written journalism on local government, housing, transportation, and equity. In September 2025, Cascade PBS ended its written journalism program and now focuses on video programming, including the daily news show The Newsfeed.
Watch: cascadepbs.org
Writers to Follow#
Ryan Packer#
Ryan Packer is a contributing editor at The Urbanist focused on pedestrian reporting and transportation issues in the Puget Sound region. They attend and cover local government meetings related to pedestrian and transit matters, providing detailed coverage of policy developments as they happen.
Follow: Ryan Packer on Bluesky