birthday balloons - justindc - flickrFifteen years ago this Autumn, a 28-year-old researcher names Alan Durning lugged a refurbished library table into the cramped bedroom closet of his Seattle home, drilled a phone line through the wall, and filed the legal papers to create a nonprofit research institute.

We’ve come a long way since 1993, but our overarching goal remains the same: to arm change-makers with the independent research, ideas, and tools they need to shape the region in favor of a healthy, lasting prosperity for all.

In honor of our Quinceaños, we’ve taken a break from our usual modesty and decided to celebrate some of our biggest accomplishments by telling their stories. You can check out the whole article, but here are a few examples (and, surrendering to our wonky nature, we’ve got the by-the-numbers story, too):

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    • Putting Walkability on the Map: From our 1996 classic, The Car and the City, to the launch of Walkscore, Sightline’s work on walkability and compact communities has inspired pedestrian- and transit-friendly planning throughout the region.
    • Do Mess With Taxes: Overhaul the tax code, save the world. That’s the core of Sightline’s 1999 book that has inspiring tax shifting throughout the region and beyond—including BC’s pioneering carbon tax this year.
    • Telling the Truth About Prices: One of Sightline’s core values, this principle has been the spark for powerful solutions throughout Cascadia, including congestion pricing, parking taxes, electronic waste programs, and—coming soon to a city near you—pay-as-you-drive car insurance.

    Of course, these ideas couldn’t have spread without the help of all of Sightline’s partners—policy-makers, journalists, and engaged citizens like you. We’ve helped craft these ideas, but countless others have been instrumental in making them a reality.

    To end with a question in the spirit of celebration, and as we look towards the coming years: What, in your mind, has been Sightline’s biggest impact? What has stood out most in your mind?

     

    Photo courtesty of Flickr user justindc under a Creative Commons license.