Economy
Seattle's Fight Against Sprawl, 20 Years On
The city's urban villages strategy is working—in some parts more than others.
In 1992, then-Mayor Norm Rice announced a strategy to reduce urban sprawl in Seattle. The idea was to channel future growth into so-called "urban villages": walkable, affordable sections of the city that contained residential, commercial, and recreational structures. Now, 20 years after that plan's implementation in 1994, a new report says that it has been successful.
Well, mostly.