1.0Sightline Institutehttps://www.sightline.orgAlan Durninghttps://www.sightline.org/profile/alan-durning/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="msvHCsGuSb"><a href="https://www.sightline.org/2004/04/16/reading_list/">Reading List</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.sightline.org/2004/04/16/reading_list/embed/#?secret=msvHCsGuSb" width="600" height="338" title="“Reading List” — Sightline Institute" data-secret="msvHCsGuSb" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> Here’s a provocative essay by one of the Northwest’s greatest living writers Jonathan Raban. It argues that Seattle’s beautiful setting and self-concept as a back-to-nature capital have crippled its city building, actually causing its failure to grow more urbane, more dense, less sprawling. The argument is contradicted by many counterexamples. (Vancouver and Portland have similarly […]