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As US coasts burn and flood, kids’ climate change lawsuit languishes in limbo
Twice a trial was scheduled and twice it's been delayed, thanks to some maneuvering by the US government.
2018 Was the Year Parking Reform Went from Minor to Major League
Last week, San Francisco and Minneapolis struck down bans on car-free housing.
Minneapolis Takes Big Step toward Legalizing Triplexes on All Single-Family Lots
Plan also includes taller apartment buildings near transit and a historic abolition on all off-street parking quotas. -
PDX Reform Plan Hits a Sweet Spot: 24,000 More Homes but Just 117 More Demolitions
Thousands of lots currently on track to become one-unit McMansions would see "missing middle" housing instead.
Nine-year losing streak continues for US fracking sector
Oil and gas output is rising but cash losses keep flowing
The Story of Climate Change Told in 19 Heartbreaking Haiku
A scientist broke down a previous 2,000-page IPCC report into poems, accompanied by watercolor pictures. -
Listen In: KBOO’s ‘Locus Focus’ on the 2018 Midterm Elections in Cascadia
Sightline's Eric de Place discusses the election and what's next in the legislative sessions in Oregon and Washington.
Trudeau Shied Away from Democracy Reform. British Columbia Could Step Forward.
As the trail of the Prime Minister's broken promises widens, Cascadia's Canadian province could make a game-changing play.
American Democracy Reformers Watching British Columbia
Will British Columbians blaze a trail by upgrading democracy to proportional representation? -
Is Coal Still Needed in the Pacific Northwest?
Proposal to reopen King County mine reveals how coal figures into Cascadia’s modern economy.
Portland Might Spend Twice as Much on Free Parking Lots as Affordable Housing along Its Next Rail Line
Free park-and-rides shower hundreds of millions on a small minority of transit riders. But we keep building more and more.
Cascadia’s Three Huge Urbanism Wins of 2018
Yes, we actually did that: 3 big wins for Cascadian city lovers this fall. -
Apparently, No One Knows How Much an Oil Spill on Salish Sea Would Cost
It’s a colossal oversight for a region that says it values the fragile waters of its inland sea.
Bike-Share Programs in Cascadia: How Are They Faring?
We highlight the leaders in various categories of bike-share glory, or ignominy in a case or two.
How to Successfully Talk About Climate and Energy in Alberta Oil Country
The common sense communication guide to connect Canadians to their common ground on climate issues. -
Uber and Lyft Don’t Have to Threaten Transit. They Could Make It Better.
And Cascadia’s biggest city is rushing toward an ideal chance to prove it.
8 Things Proportional Representation Does for Every Voter
Here are just a handful of ways that electoral system upgrades deliver better, more democratic results.
Little Big Shift: PDX’s 2 Percent Restripe Would Boost Roads’ Capacity 60 Percent
The secret is to move people on vehicles that require less room per person in these reallocated central-city road spaces.
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SIGHTLINE DAILY
Today’s top sustainability headlines for the Pacific Northwest, curated by Sightline Institute.
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Rectifying Seattle’s racist past requires a future of denser housing
Crosscut
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One Representative’s plan to fix the Voting Rights Act
Vox
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What does home smell like to salmon?
Crosscut
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Opinion: What’s missing from the Uber debate?
Vancouver Sun
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Scooter companies vs. the regulators
Slate
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Why Tacoma should divest from fossil fuels
The News Tribune
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Watch: Why we need a better definition of ‘renewable’ energy
Grist
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Elk run the show on OR’s north coast
High Country News
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Views: Cut the engine noise, save the orcas
Seattle Times
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Family biking: Beyond mama bear rage
Bike Portland
Our Mission
Sightline Institute’s mission is to make the Northwest a global model of sustainability— strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment.
We envision in the Pacific Northwest an economy and way of life that are environmentally sound, economically vibrant, and socially just. We believe that if northwesterners succeed at reconciling themselves with the natural heritage of this place—the greenest part of history’s richest civilization—we can set an example for the world.