Publications from the Livable Seattle Movement!

The issues affecting livability in Seattle are complex. Data is necessary to informed debate and essential to creating public policy. Our publications are designed to help assist the community understand the issues. We provide publications in three areas:

Multi-Family Update
In 2008, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will debut "updates" to the current multi-family zoning rules. Initial analysis of early proposals demonstrate these are not so much updates as important rewrites of certain code sections. Our publications address the history of multi-family zoning and impacts of potential changes. Click here to view these publications.

Affordable Housing
There is no question Seattle needs to do a better job on affordable housing. How best to enable affordable housing is not so easy. The only thing we know for sure is broad upzoning isn't the answer. Our publications look at data illuminating what causes drops in affordable housing and how to increase our affordable housing stock. Click here to view these publications.

Green Seattle
Mayor Nickels set out a four-point Environmental Action Agenda in 2007. Despite this, there has been little effort on critical items like saving trees from removal during development. Widespread flooding in December 2007 reminded us of the risks of replacing yards and gardens with impermeable driveways and townhome rooftops uphill from sensitive urban streams. Keeping the emerald in the Emerald City, to paraphrase Mayor Nickels, will be one of the biggest challenges we face. Our publications try to provide perspective and inform this critical debate. Click here to view these publications.