Author: Chuck Wolfe

Charles R. (Chuck) Wolfe, M.R.P., J.D. provides a unique perspective about cities as both a long time writer about urbanism worldwide and an attorney in Seattle, where he focuses on land use and environmental law and permitting. In particular, his work involves the use of sustainable development techniques and innovative land use regulatory tools on behalf of both the private and public sectors. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington, where he teaches land use law at the graduate level. He contributes regularly to several publications including Planetizen, CityLab/The Atlantic Cities, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Grist, seattlepi.com, and Crosscut.com. He blogs at myurbanist.com.

the news cycle and the states of city streets

On By Chuck WolfeIn infrastructure, pedestrianism, placemaking, politics, sustainability, urban administration4 Comments

Increasingly, everyday seems like “a day of the street”.

Today, as part of a feature series on recent mayoral “state of the city” speeches, Planner’s Web highlights Minneapolis, where in his address last month Mayor R.T. Rybak stressed that city’s “Great Streets” program, a coordinated funding assistance effort to ensure success of businesses located adjacent to commercial corridors and nodes.

Coincidentally, in Seattle, a broad campaign (citing, inter alia, Minneapolis) launched, with the goal of offsetting comprehensive funding shortfalls for Seattle street reinvention:

We believe that walking, bicycling and transit should be the easiest means of transportation in Seattle. But our current situation is that we face cuts in Metro service hours and we’re not funding the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans that are needed for our future.

Our coalition has identified a number of potential funding sources – to the tune of $30 million dollars – for walking, biking and transit infrastructure. And we look forward to working with the Seattle City Council, Mayor McGinn and our partners to create dedicated funding mechanisms for multi-modal transportation initiatives in Seattle.

We also look forward to engaging the entire city of Seattle in a conversation about how we fund and build the pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure that aligns with our vision; this year, and into the future.

Here is an embedded link to the new coalition effort, which, at last review, garnered 267 Facebook fans in just over 24 hours:

indicators of the sustainability transition, small town style

On By Chuck WolfeIn pedestrianism, placemaking, sustainability, urban views5 Comments

Are America’s small resort towns evidence of a growing sustainability ethic, where, inter alia, autocentric streets are in transition from past to future? Based on selective photography, today’s landscape in Chelan, Washington suggests such a conclusion.

Five days prior to Earth Day, 2010, five indicators emerge, as captioned below:


1. Small town streets, while auto-dominated, interact with a growing pedestrian presence.


2. Businesses are seeking street interaction wherever possible, even while conventional parking schemes remain.


3. The juncture of parks and natural resources enhances town settings.


4. Street and park fairs celebrate Earth Day.


5. Local groups organize around sustainability amid the monikers of conventional infrastructure and transportation.

A review of the Lake Chelan Mirror (April 14 print edition) shows the City Council addressing balanced street uses and potential incentives for sustainability in discussion of the Draft Downtown Master Plan. Simultaneously, the Council is discussing balanced integration of a potential 270 acre mixed use development adjacent to current city limits.

Seattle as medieval city?

On By Chuck WolfeIn infrastructure, placemaking, politics, sustainability, urban administration1 Comment

In the May 2010 Seattle Magazine, Editor-at-Large Knute Berger uses myurbanist (see clue #4) as one piece of evidence that Seattle is heading towards a “new medievalism”. Uh-oh.

where the car is a stranger

On By Chuck WolfeIn everyday urbanism, infill development, pedestrianism, placemaking, sustainability, urban views, vignettes8 Comments

As the future of the automobile is roundly debated amid increasing discussion of pedestrian, bicycle and transit environments, images remind us of the changing nature of the street.

density stories: grace in vertical space

On By Chuck WolfeIn compact development, infill development, placemaking, urban views7 Comments

Precipitous shore-side venues once reliant on marine commerce show retrofits adapted to the needs of modern housing, transportation and tourism. While such images show the potential of human adaptation, they also suggest the myriad of land use regulatory challenges associated with the prospects of compact development.

So goes the dance of density….