Matt Fikse-Verkerk (Twitter: @mattfikse) covered urban affairs, politics, tech, and business at Crosscut from 2009 to 2014. He lives in Seattle and works for a biotechnology firm in Redmond, WA.
Regional leadership is lining up its ducks in an effort to convince Boeing to build the next generation of 737s here. One contender is the historic site of a Boeing factory at Boeing Field. Here's a survey of the issues and the fault lines in the local team.
As tangled and dramatic as events have been, there is potential for moving the city forward. But it will require the right approach.
For a certain generation of Northwest airplane geeks, Boeing's recent troubles hit especially hard. The easiest thing may be to just call the company what it has become: McDonnell Douglas.
Seattle's old Auto Row is now a very vibrant urban village. Keeping it so will involve a lot more attention to grunge and grime, as well as ways to save high-character buildings from falling victim to rising real estate values.
The residential megablocks of the past few years didn't work out financially or in terms of urban design. Here's a better idea, crafted to a Capitol Hill opportunity and inspired by an Amsterdam neighborhood.
