Articles about cities

Science fiction focuses on the far future of terraforming, with a tie-in to today’s cities

Billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos dream of making Mars more like Earth, or seeing millions of people… Read More

Podcast

Urbanist Richard Florida on the overblown tech exodus and how cities will regroup post pandemic

Reports of the death of coastal cities are greatly overblown. At least that’s the view of renowned urbanist and author… Read More

Balancing act: What Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s short tenure says about running a tech hub

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan sought to build a bridge between the tech industry and its harshest critics in the divided… Read More

Can scooters give bike-share a boost? Lime data shows both services are growing in Seattle

It’s been six weeks since Lime’s rentable electric scooters arrived on Seattle’s streets, following a lengthy approval process by the… Read More

Podcast

Expedia Group’s CEO on the future of travel, and why big cities will someday ‘come roaring back’

“The day there’s a vaccine announced, that people really believe in, will be our highest booking day in history.” That… Read More

Microsoft and Cascadia group unveil proposal to build economic hubs between big Pacific NW cities

The Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference has made headlines over the past few years for its ambitious goal to connect Portland… Read More

The future of tech hubs: Why some experts are optimistic, despite pandemic and looming taxes

Downtown Seattle and San Francisco have taken on the eerie quality of ghost towns as office buildings stand empty and… Read More

Pandemic threatens dominance of ‘superstar’ tech cities, creating new uncertainty for innovation hubs

The seemingly unstoppable trend of tech companies and talent concentrating in a few cities hit a brick wall in March.… Read More

Pandemic spells uncertain future for bikes and scooters as mobility services confront new realities

Three years ago, thousands of candy-colored shared bicycles appeared on Seattle streets, rebranding the characteristically gray-green city with a theme… Read More

Seattle added 50,000 tech jobs during decade of concentration in ‘superstar cities’

Tech jobs are concentrating in a handful of “superstar cities” including Seattle and San Francisco, dispelling predictions that the opportunity… Read More

Yes, Virginia, there is an Amazon HQ2, but it’s actually 10 miles outside of Seattle

When Amazon coined the term “HQ2” and announced plans to open a second North American headquarters, the company promised it… Read More

Melinda Gates’ nonprofit launches $50M initiative to increase representation of women in tech hubs

Melinda Gates is launching another initiative to turn the tide for women in tech. Pivotal Ventures, a Seattle-based philanthropic group… Read More

Microsoft adds $250 million to Seattle housing pledge, bringing total commitment to $750M

Microsoft is increasing its spending on affordable housing and homelessness philanthropy in the Seattle area by 50 percent. The company… Read More

Car2gone: Share Now to exit North America, leaving Seattle with no free-floating car-sharing service

Share Now, operator of the car2go car-sharing service, will end operations in North America on Feb. 29, leaving Seattle with… Read More

New documents reveal details of Seattle scooter-share pilot, including ban on sidewalk riding

Seattle’s plan for a free-floating scooter-share pilot program is coming into focus with a newly released environmental impact statement and… Read More

Seattle launches data dashboards to show residents how the city is performing on key issues

The City of Seattle unveiled seven data dashboards Thursday in an effort to give residents and government employees more insights… Read More

Study finds ‘crisis of regional imbalance’ as Seattle and 4 other regions dominate tech job growth

Seattle, San Francisco and other tech hubs are capturing a growing percentage of innovation jobs in the United States, according… Read More

How Apple’s new $2.5B housing initiative stacks up vs. Microsoft, Amazon, and other tech giants

For years, fast-growing tech companies have drawn criticism for housing crises that have swelled in Seattle, and the San Francisco… Read More

Amazon HQ2 becomes nation’s most competitive region for home buyers as Seattle market cools

Amazon hasn’t broken ground on its first HQ2 building in Northern Virginia yet but its plans to build a 25,000-person… Read More

Real estate investors bet on tech hubs to withstand economic downturns, study finds

Real estate investors are banking on cities with robust tech industries. A new report from real estate company JLL finds… Read More

Seattle mayor: Fighting traffic with congestion pricing is an uphill battle in West Coast tech hubs

Earlier this year, New York became the first city in America to adopt congestion pricing, a.k.a. tolls that drivers pay… Read More

Uber launches tool to help urban planners track road speeds in 6 cities

In the early days, Uber and city officials were at odds. The transportation upstart had a habit of expanding to… Read More

Lawmakers from Washington state push for Smart Cities Bill in Congress

A bill introduced in Congress this week would free up hundreds of millions of dollars to help cities throughout the… Read More

Bellevue accelerates self-driving transit plans as Amazon moves major team from Seattle

For more than a year, transportation wonks and city officials have been working to turn Bellevue, Wash., into a smart… Read More

Amazon’s big Bellevue move: Politicians, business leaders and real estate experts weigh in

News that Amazon plans to move several thousand employees out of Seattle to nearby Bellevue, Wash., in the next five… Read More

Amazon hiring 800 in HQ2 runner-up Austin

Amazon is hiring 800 new tech workers in Austin and expanding into a new 145,000-square foot office in the Texas… Read More

Uber and Lyft push for congestion pricing as Seattle considers tax on ride-hailing companies

Uber and Lyft are resisting a tax on their services under consideration in the Seattle mayor’s office, claiming the cost… Read More

Full details of Amazon’s HQ2 deal with Arlington County, Va., revealed for the first time

Now that the New York deal is dead on arrival, Amazon’s only “HQ2” will be built in Northern Virginia, where… Read More

Report: Spurned New York officials begging Amazon and Jeff Bezos to rethink HQ2 reversal

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is doggedly trying to convince Amazon to resume plans to build a massive office in… Read More

The Amazon HQ2 effect? Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs faces resistance to smart city project in Toronto

It’s only been a few weeks since Amazon canceled plans to build a New York headquarters amid growing opposition to… Read More