When thousands of people are living in tents and doorways, it makes no sense for the government to stop people from living indoors. But that’s exactly what some cities and counties do by capping the number of “unrelated occupants” who can legally share a home, no matter how large. Both Oregon and Washington are considering … Read more
Our families and living groups come in all shapes and sizes. Some households need more than six bedrooms. Cities shouldn’t replace a bad cap on household size with a bad cap on room count.
A 2019 law legalizing “middle housing” statewide turns out to also be one of the biggest parking reforms in US history.
Washington and Oregon need a plan to move beyond gas to meet decarbonization goals. Other states like California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are leading the way on decarbonizing their gas utilities.
Family forest owners could lead on climate-smart forestry with public mechanisms to incentivize carbon drawdown practices.
ADU demand skyrockets in jurisdictions that removed regulatory barriers.
Just as Portland, Maine, set an example for all Mainers, leading to state-wide adoption of ranked choice ballots, successful ranked choice voting in Benton County, Oregon, may blaze a new trail for Oregonians.
Ted Wheeler won, but with no strong mandate. His opposition was split. Ranked choice voting could have delivered Portland a new mayor.
Northwest decarbonization plans won’t pan out while the region’s biggest utilities continue to bank on more fossil fuels for decades to come.
How did election reforms fare in 2020? Pretty darn well. Colorado’s national popular vote measure is winning. Ranked choice voting won in Alaska and won by landslides in several cities. Unfortunately, RCV lost narrowly in the state of Massachusetts.