Our Work
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Oregon’s New Path to Inclusionary Housing: Fully Funded and Flexible
An environmental justice champion led the push to end counterproductive, unfunded mandates.
Video: Proportional Representation, Explained
What it looks like when voters get a fair share of the seats at the table.
11% of Northwest Residents Live in Fire Country; 100% Pay the Price
1.6 million people live in high hazard areas. As the region continues to build in flammable landscapes, policymakers can protect communities with smarter building choices and the truth about rising risk.
Seattle’s No-Cost Emissions Cut
The climate benefits of urban neighborhoods, all for the low price of letting people live where they want.
Fast, Affordable, Illegal
Homes on wheels are a lifeline for families, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out.
Ranked Choice Voting, the Utah Way
How a conservative state piloted better elections for voters—lessons from four of the movement’s leaders.
11% of Northwest Residents Live in Fire Country; 100% Pay the Price
1.6 million people live in high hazard areas. As the region continues to build in flammable landscapes, policymakers can protect communities with smarter building choices and the truth about rising risk.
Katie Wilson Can Be Seattle’s Climate Mayor for Renters
New programs for heat pumps, induction stoves, and plug-in solar would let renters reap the rewards of the clean energy revolution.
How the 2026 Washington Legislature Can Right-Size the Power Grid
A transmission authority, plus three other ideas, to speed development of the transmission lines Washingtonians needed yesterday.
The High Cost of Slow Permitting
Sluggish approval of Cascadian transmission projects inflates electricity bills and strands renewable energy.
How Cascadia Can Maintain Its Heat Pump Momentum
Three tools to help the region’s low-income families afford more efficient heating and cooling systems—even as public dollars dry up.
Who Owns a Utility Matters Less for Climate Than the Rules They Play By
Advocates can focus on fast-tracking policies that are already working well elsewhere.
Video: Proportional Representation, Explained
What it looks like when voters get a fair share of the seats at the table.
Ranked Choice Voting, the Utah Way
How a conservative state piloted better elections for voters—lessons from four of the movement’s leaders.
Districts Won’t Truly Represent Deschutes County Residents
Proportional representation can better reflect voters’ views than arbitrary lines.
A Charter Commissioner’s Guide to Election Reform
Sightline asked former commissioners for their best advice. Here’s what they had to say.
A Two-Word Fix for Alaska’s Ballot Confusion
Letting parties tag their nominees would make Alaska’s elections clearer, fairer, and harder to hijack by disingenuous candidates.
No More 48-Candidate Races
Reasonable filing fees would help voters, parties, and serious contenders alike in Alaska and Portland.
Four Ways Context Matters for Wildfire News Coverage
Reporters can help people see the forest, even when the trees are on fire.
Blazing a Trail: The Vital Role of Wildfire Hazard Maps
Sophisticated and high-resolution maps such as Oregon’s are essential tools for thriving in a fiery future.
The Best Wildfire Solution We’re Not Using
Three ways to curb the sprawl that traps us on a wildfire treadmill.
Oregon’s New Path to Inclusionary Housing: Fully Funded and Flexible
An environmental justice champion led the push to end counterproductive, unfunded mandates.
Seattle’s No-Cost Emissions Cut
The climate benefits of urban neighborhoods, all for the low price of letting people live where they want.
Fast, Affordable, Illegal
Homes on wheels are a lifeline for families, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out.
Video: Fixing North America’s Big Elevator Problem
Our bans on smaller elevators block accessible homes, and our insistence on unique standards drives up prices.
New Oregon Rules Will Re-Legalize Neighborhood Apartments
Over time, the state zoning standards make space for tens of thousands more homes in Oregon cities.
Portland’s Inclusionary Zoning Program Is Finally Performing, New Data Suggests
Because for the first time, the city fully funded it.
How to Talk About Parking Reform—and Win
Our road-tested messaging guide to gain more great neighborhoods and the homes we need, and to kick excess asphalt to the curb.
Video: Housing Solutions Are Climate Solutions
In 90 seconds, how zoning for more home choices in our cities helps affordability and cuts climate pollution.
Poll: Washington Voters Out Ahead Of Local Leaders On Zoning Reforms
Statewide survey shows broad voter receptivity—across partisan, demographic, and geographic lines—to zoning changes to allow more homes like duplexes and small apartment buildings.
Video: Zoning for All Kinds of Affordable Homes
Cities need all kinds of affordability, both subsidized housing and naturally affordable, modest-sized, market-rate homes.
Recipes for Successful Abundant Housing Communications
In this panel discussion, three expert communicators share how they’ve crafted compelling narratives, engaged coalitions, and garnered press attention for housing affordability and climate policy.
How to Tear Down the Invisible Walls in Your City’s Zoning Code
10 tips for zoning reformers from a town that legalized housing.
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Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
Cut through the noise and get the news you can use. Sightline editors—real people—hand-pick headlines from 150+ outlets to keep you on top of the stories shaping our region’s communities, economy, and environment. Reader favorite; formerly known as Sightline Daily.
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Issue insights from Sightline experts
Hear directly from our team of experts. They take you on a deeper dive into Sightline’s solutions, translating their latest analysis and sharing behind-the-scenes context for the research—as well as what to watch for next. Delivered about monthly.
Housing + Cities
Parking, zoning, sprawl, pollution, property rights, commutes, rents, and home prices—they all intersect where a legacy of exclusionary rules and regulations restrict homebuilding and fuel our housing shortage. Hear from Dan Bertolet, Catie Gould, Michael Andersen, and others exploring solutions for low-carbon, affordable, accessible cities and towns.
Climate + Energy
From electrification to decarbonization, carbon pricing to grid upgrades, Emily Moore and team decode the policy solutions to power a greener, more equitable, and robust economy for the region’s future.
Democracy + Elections
Protecting voter choice and voice with clear-eyed, independent analysis and models of success—Alan Durning, Jay Lee, Shannon Grimes, Al Vanderklipp, and others send you the latest elections solutions and opportunities, from Alaska to Oregon and inland to Montana and Idaho.