Seattle Forward

Designing a Family-Friendly Downtown

AIA Seattle is hosting a one-day conference at City Hall on April 11 to explore design elements and policies that make for a family-friendly downtown. As we attract more residents to our downtown neighborhoods, it is increasingly important that we make the area welcoming for people of all ages. Sometimes it is the little things that signal we're serious to having families downtown, like designing a play area for children at Westlake Park. Sometimes it is the bigger things, like making sure zoning codes in South Lake Union provide incentives for a new elementary school in that area.

If you are in the urban design field or studying to be, you might enjoy the discussion at this event. Event details and registration are here.

The event is co-presented by the Downtown Seattle Association, the Seattle Planning Commission and the Department of Planning and Development.

New State Pot Consultant a Familiar Face

Washington State has a new consultant to help implement the voter-approved marijuana legalization initiative, UCLA professor Mark Kleiman. Professor Kleiman is not a stranger to this area; a couple years ago he testified before the Seattle City Council and was one member of a team that worked with the City and State to pilot a new program for individuals under community supervision by the Department of Corrections. I’ve written about this program before and it has since expanded statewide.

One of his books, When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment, details the idea that swift and certain sanctions reduce crime and incarceration more effectively when compared to the punishment model common in this country that delivers more severe punishments less consistently. It is a fascinating read. Or if you prefer to watch a video rather than pick up a book, you can check out his presentation to a crowded Town Hall audience.

Auditing the Transportation Capital Program

I asked the City Auditor today to conduct an audit of the Seattle Department of Transportation’s capital investment program and its management of cash balances. I did so after learning that SDOT incurred millions of dollars of unused debt in recent years. In 2011, $112 million remained in its cash balance from bond sale proceeds. Last year, the total was $64 million.

We are $1.8 billion behind on basic street and bridge maintenance projects. It’s very troubling that we have been sitting on so much cash. We sold the bonds. We have the money. We should spend these funds to improve mobility and repair our bridges, streets and sidewalks today. Instead, SDOT is wasting taxpayer dollars on unnecessary interest payments. Until we can determine why this is happening and adopt corrective measures, I will not vote to incur any additional debt for SDOT-managed projects.

King County Shelters: What the Numbers Tell Us

The King County Committee to End Homelessness recently released a report that highlighted for me why getting the facts matters in making public policy decisions.

The report reiterated the importance of providing the homeless with permanent housing as quickly as possible. When discussing the issue of temporary, emergency shelters and whether there are enough beds for homeless individuals, the report’s data led to some instructive conclusions.

Follow the Data, Lower Parking Rates

When the City Council approved a new parking meter rate policy in 2010 we stressed the importance of a rational, outcome-based policy that could be applied consistently and fairly in every neighborhood business district.

Last fall the Council was told by the Mayor’s budget office and transportation managers there would be no further changes to parking rates in 2013 to allow the public to get used to the changes applied in 2012, but the Mayor recently announced lowered rates in one neighborhood. If we’re going to make changes at all this year, we should adhere to the data and lower parking meter rates in up to 13 paid parking areas in neighborhood business districts.

Continued Efforts to End the Death Penalty in Washington

House Bill 1504, a bill that eliminates the death penalty in Washington, received a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee this morning. The Safe and Just Alternatives Campaign produced a short but powerful case for why our state should follow the 17 others that have ended this practice.

As I’ve written previously, I oppose the death penalty. There is a lack of evidence that this form of punishment deters crime, but an abundance of evidence that it costs society much more and is used arbitrarily and disproportionately across racial lines. Our society has been unable to justly administer this ultimate exercise of power. Too many lives have been ruined as a result.