Michael Luis is a public policy consultant who has been wrestling with housing, growth and economic development issues around Washington State for over 30 years. He is author of several books on local history and served as mayor of Medina.
Anyone with gauzy notions that things were easier back then — the myth of the ten white guys with cigars calling the shots from the Rainier Club — has not studied much regional history. Getting stuff done was hard back then, too.
Growth is everywhere, our infrastructure is straining to keep up, and it feels like we're growing at an unprecedented rate. We're not. So why does it feel that way?
While Seattle is growing nicely, it isn't gaining in national rankings over the past 30 years. Seattle’s relative isolation, high costs and niche economic roles make it an unlikely breakout story.
Are Millennials really that urban? Even before they began emerging from their parents’ basements, we were told that this generation will be the vanguard of the return to city living.