Sightline Institute
Think tank cooking up nonpartisan policy research on housing, democracy, energy, climate, and forests in Cascadia. 🧠🍳 Likes/follows ≠ endorsements.
Newsletters: sightline.org/signup
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteI'm calling it: Washington has now accomplished more on statewide zoning reform than any other US state. In the just ended 2025 legislative session, Washington lawmakers knocked out nation-leading parking and TOD bills, and more. www.sightline.org/2025/05/15/w...
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- Cascadia is at a crossroads. Your donation—no matter the size—makes a difference in our ability to power sustainable change. sightline.org/donate
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- Just dropped: Our new report on PNW data centers’ climate impact. @emilymoore.bsky.social lays out how policymakers could turn facilities’ demand for electricity into an opportunity to catapult an economy-wide clean energy transition… all while leveraging deep tech co pockets to fund the switch.⬇️
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteNEW: Seattle's pioneering "democracy voucher" program has boosted small-donor participation and increased diversity among small donors, according to a new book. Video interview with Dr. Jen Heerwig on her research into the local program since it began: readsludge.com/2025/05/13/n...
- Reposted by Sightline Institute'Vastly more walkable': After decades of debate, Pike Place Market soft-launches car ban www.knkx.org/transportati...
- We're jazzed to be partnering with Pattie Gonia for their enviro drag show coming to #PortlandOR in July! If you support Sightline in May you could win two VIP tix - reply SAVEHER to the email confirmation of your donation of any amount and email RSVP@sightline.org with qs. sightline.org/donate
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- Reposted by Sightline InstituteOh, also, we're hiring in #Alaska! @sightline.org is such a great place to work, I've been here for a million years **by 2025 standards** Seriously tho #Anchorage has a housing shortage and #AK is modeling democratic elections systems upgrades (#RCV #OpenPrimaries) www.sightline.org/lead-researc...
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteJoin us on Wednesday, May 7th at 12 PM PT for a provocative discussion exploring the intersection of urban design and gender equity with: - Anna Zivarts, author of When Driving Is Not an Option - Paula Tovar, Architect and Urbanist at UNStudio - Ann Cheng, PRN Board Member lu.ma/2yye8g46
- “Helping Cascadia grow into a model of sustainability matters not only because it is Sightline’s mission but also because it can help rescue America from a dark and airless time.”
- No one else is coming to do this work for us. But together, we’re exactly who we need. Support our work and help Cascadia lead with good ideas: sightline.org/donate
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteNEW STORY // Public Meetings Privilege Housing Opponents — Here’s How to Fix It www.theurbanist.org/2025/05/03/p...
- Reposted by Sightline Institute"In 2020, [Portland, OR] approved building [middle housing] on lots zoned for single family homes... A new report from the City says, it's working. 1,400 new units built in just a few years and each one is $300,000 less expensive than a typical single family home." @nbcnews.com
- We're hiring a lead researcher for our Alaska programs! 👓 Steer our research, advocacy, and strategy in two AK policy areas: Housing + Cities and Democracy + Elections 💲$106-$125k, plus 10% retirement 📍Based in #Anchorage or willing to relocate
- State legislative sessions have already wrapped in Washington and Montana. We'll talk about what went down during a virtual debrief on May 14. Our housing, climate, and election reform researchers are ready for your questions — join us! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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- One more week to apply for our housing researcher position!
- “With the overlapping crises we face, from housing to democracy to climate justice, Sightline’s work is more crucial than ever.” sightline.org/our-impact
- "It really does re-legalize the basic building blocks of being able to build a walkable city again, which is not possible if all your buildings are surrounded by parking lots that are two times as large as the buildings are." @citizen-cate.bsky.social
- Reposted by Sightline Institute1) This piece from @resnikoff.bsky.social is the absolute hottest fire. 2) Our message testing with @sightline.org showed that the balance of power between landlords & tenants / homesellers & homebuyers is the #1 best way to frame the stakes of housing abundance vs. scarcity for voters.
- New from me in @thenation.com: A YIMBY theory of power and a rejoinder to critics who argue that YIMBYs are blind to class/corporate power www.thenation.com/article/soci...
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteLast week, Montana voted to: - legalize 6-story apartments on most commercial land - sharply cut multifamily parking mandates - limit excess impact fees - cut condo defect liability - require equal treatment for manufactured homes - legalize single-stair buildings up to 6 stories statewide
- Montana is leading the nation on pro-housing policy — but not by accident.
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- New Sightliner in the house! @rpelai.bsky.social is our new Climate + Energy researcher. Ricardo previously worked at the @climateinstitute.bsky.social covering extreme weather, wildfires, and energy. He loves exploring Canada's forests and playing volleyball. Welcome!!! 🏐🗻
- See you TONIGHT, earthlings!
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- Reposted by Sightline InstituteLisa Murkowski has gotten lots of attention for bucking Trump and speaking up about GOP intimidation. Here's how her independence makes the case for ranked-choice voting: wapo.st/43We5WV
- Reposted by Sightline Institute“If we really want to open up opportunities for new housing, excessive parking mandates have got to go.” - @citizen-cate.bsky.social “Pro-housing advocates have changed the narrative and demanded action.” - @jessbateman.bsky.social www.knkx.org/politics/202...
- Tomorrow: $1 from every pint sold at Reuben's Brews in Seattle will be donated to Sightline. Come hang out with us 5-9pm!
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- "We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but one crisis which is both social and environmental. The poor and the earth are crying out." Pope Francis reshaped the global climate conversation. @trufahey.bsky.social wrote about his advocacy way back in 2015:
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteICYMI: after three years of advocacy from @futurewise.bsky.social and sponsorship by @staterepjuliareed.bsky.social, Washington passed the most significant state-level transit-oriented development mandate in the country with HB 1491. The bill now heads to @governorferguson.bsky.social for signature!
- More refineries will undoubtedly close as oil demand slows, and one of Washington’s five could be next. There's even more of a need for WA to start a transition plan, as @emilymoore.bsky.social researched last year: www.sightline.org/2024/11/26/l...
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- Seattle, come cheers to #WALeg housing wins this Friday!
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- Reposted by Sightline InstituteIn a bipartisan vote, the Washington state Senate just voted to PASS HB 1491 for transit-oriented development!!! 🎉🎉🎉
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteFairVote's Meredith Sumpter & @sightline.org's Alan Durning explain in @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social how #RankedChoiceVoting is making government work better in places as different as Portland, OR and Alaska. thefulcrum.us/electoral-re...
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteThe WA legislature has been racking up the wins on housing abundance bills, and there may even be a couple more to come! Please join @sightline.org for a happy hour to celebrate, this Friday at Stoup (formerly Optimism) on Capitol Hill. www.sightline.org/wp-content/u...
- Need some good news? Here’s a roundup of all our policy wins last year. 🧵⤵️
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- "[The Democracy Voucher program] has had a transformative impact on Seattle’s electoral landscape, with a five-fold increase in the number of small donors participating, particularly among historically underrepresented communities." @thefulcrum-us.bsky.social
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- Reposted by Sightline InstituteThe WA House just passed what is arguably the strongest parking reform bill yet attempted in the U.S., SB 5184, on a bipartisan vote of 64 - 31 !!!!!!!!! Next stop, the governor's desk. Huge thank you to @jessdbateman.bsky.social and @davina425.bsky.social !!! www.theurbanist.org/2025/02/20/w...
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- Elections in Whatcom County require laborious mapmaking decisions – and the resulting districts still lock out non-majority voters. There’s a much better way.
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- Come work with us! We're hiring a senior #housing researcher to develop and drive pro-housing policy at the local and state level. You could help us lift exclusionary zoning rules and promote policies that make Cascadia more affordable.
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- Reposted by Sightline InstituteWe've got new polling, hot off the presses! 📉 Whether Dem, Ind, or Rep, living in a suburb, a city, or rural area- folks in Washington are strongly aligned on support for strong housing policies, and want more action from the State Legislature. 🧵 #WALeg
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- Reposted by Sightline InstituteMeanwhile... ...it's almost halftime in Oregon's legislative session & 35% of Oregon households still dump >30% of their income into housing. Short thread of bills @sightline.org has been supporting that'd help Oregonians cut those costs. (pictured: the state capitol + key lunch options)
- They're not just places for books! Catch @shamike2009.bsky.social at Seattle Town Hall later this month
- 4/14 at 7:30 PM | Author and former librarian @shamike2009.bsky.social argues that the public library may be our best hope for bridging divides and creating strong, inclusive communities. Presented in partnership with @spl.org 🎟 Get tickets: buff.ly/rH6ql8J
- Let's raise a glass to big ideas! We’re proud to be Reuben’s Brews pick for GratiTuesday on April 22, when $1 from every pint sold all day will be donated to our work. Join us at the Ballard taproom 5-9pm to chat, sip, and cheers to our little planet🌍.
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- Voters across the U.S. agree politics are broken, but there’s not yet consensus on how to fix gov dysfunction. Al Vanderklipp and @jayleetx.com parsed the partisan split on electoral upgrades like #RankedChoiceVoting and open primaries: www.sightline.org/2025/04/01/r...
- Reposted by Sightline InstituteThough this article is framed around loss of affordable housing, it also reveals an incredible success story of how building more housing helps affordability. From 2017 to 2022, the number of Seattle rentals affordable to 50 - 80% AMI increased by 44%. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
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- Seattle City Council heard input on the Democracy Voucher program yesterday for a proposal to place voucher funding renewal before voters. And the People Powered Elections Coalition showed out!! @peoplepoweredwa.bsky.social @fixdemocracyfirst.bsky.social @fairvotewa.bsky.social @washingtonbus.org
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- The seat's getting warmer... 👀🪑See you tomorrow in Seattle!
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- Talk democracy with our researcher Shannon Grimes and @fairvotewa.bsky.social, tonight at 6pm!
- Coming up April 3: The new wildfire reality at #UBC with @drsuzannesimard.bsky.social, @loridanielsubc.bsky.social and @johnvaillant.bsky.social 🌲🔥🌆
