Sightline Institute

10/13/2026

This year’s fast moving, virtually irrepressible events are not the seasonal burns of decades past.

10/13/2026

Who lives in Cascadia?

16 million US residents, 6 million Canadians. 430,000 residents of Alaska. 710 Yukoners.

https://www.sightline.org/2026/10/08/twenty-one-million-cascadians-an-overview/

10/09/2026

“This municipal election, candidates in our biggest cities should be judged on whether they will finally remove the barriers that keep homes scarce and expensive,” says BC Policy Solutions senior economist and policy analyst Alex Hemingway in his latest article.

Find the link to read it in the comments below.

10/08/2026

Cascadia is home to about 21 million people, spread far and wide across the bioregion that stretches from the Rockies to the Pacific and from Alaska to California.

Twenty-one Million Cascadians: An Overview

10/07/2026

Since Alaskans adopted top-four primaries and ranked choice voting, fewer elections are for “safe seats” where the winner is a foregone conclusion, voters have more compelling choices, and incumbents have to defend their records against stronger challengers. In short: Competition is hot.

Post-Reform, Alaskan Elections Are More Competitive

09/24/2026

When today’s seniors find homes they want to downsize to, others can move into the homes they depart—freeing up some of Oregon’s 600,000 bedrooms that sit empty every night. It's good for seniors; it’s good for everybody. https://www.sightline.org/age-friendly-homes-for-oregon-neighborhoods/

09/23/2026

Portland’s inaugural proportional ranked choice voting elections in 2024 had notable differences from the comparable 2020 presidential election. In 2024, the number of organizations making endorsements nearly quadrupled, campaign spending dropped, and money didn’t predict the winner as reliably as before.

Q+A with Lewis & Clark College professor Dr. Ellen Seljan:

In Portland’s Revised Elections, Endorsements Add Up

09/21/2026

Oregon legalized townhomes on most urban land. But not everyone can handle all those stairs.

Single-level homes inside attractive, neighborhood-scale condo or apartment buildings served by elevators would open the door for Oregonians to downsize within their communities.

Age-Friendly Homes for Oregon Neighborhoods

09/18/2026

Vancouver's Villages Plan was supposed to create 17 vibrant neighborhood hubs and guide growth through 2050, but it fell apart in July after three years of drafting and public consultation.

What would it take for leaders to legalize apartments citywide?

The Death—and Lessons—of Vancouver’s Villages Plan

09/15/2026

It has been a brutally destructive fire season, and future summers are on track to be hotter and drier. The Northwest still has time to choose a more fire-resilient path.

Fire Hazard: The Mounting Costs of Northwest Sprawl