Blog

I've been blogging since 2010, with different blogs for different topics. With this one, I'm bringing everything together, gradually moving posts here from older blogs, which is why you see long past publication dates on some of them.

If you click on the ALL POSTS button at the top of this page, you'll see, in chronological order, all the posts on this site.

If you you click on a tag at the bottom of an individual post, all other posts with the same tag will appear here.

Marie McKinsey

Mar 11
11 min

West Seattle's Citizen Urban Planners

Did you know that Seattle's Comprehensive Plan is being updated? Do you even know what the Comprehensive Plan is? If you answered "no" to on

84 views0 comments

Welcome to a New Season of West Seattle Bridge Drama

Marie McKinsey

Apr 2, 2022
8 min

Welcome to a New Season of West Seattle Bridge Drama

now that 700 people in West Seattle have received letters advising them that their properties are in the path of an oncoming train.

1,924 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Feb 5, 2022
5 min

When It Comes To Transit, Think Small

Think Small. This simple ad, which ran in the 1960s, was part of one of the most successful campaigns of all time. It was clever.

124 views0 comments

Marie McKinsey

Dec 4, 2021
5 min

Why You Should Have A Commuting Budget

A commuting budget looks at both the amount of time you allocate for going to and from work each week, and what that commute costs you.

75 views0 comments

Find Out by Zip Code How Much CO2 Your Neighborhood Emits

Marie McKinsey

Sep 24, 2021
2 min

Find Out by Zip Code How Much CO2 Your Neighborhood Emits

We've heard for decades that increasing population density is good for the environment. The theory is that it discourages suburban sprawl,

121 views0 comments

WTF Is a Woonerf? And Where Can We Put One in West Seattle?

Marie McKinsey

Sep 19, 2021
2 min

WTF Is a Woonerf? And Where Can We Put One in West Seattle?

Woonerf, a Dutch word, is translated as "a living yard." It is a street where car use is limited in favor of green space and room for pedest

426 views1 comment

The Alki 11 Row House Project: Density Done Wrong

Marie McKinsey

Jun 5, 2021
2 min

The Alki 11 Row House Project: Density Done Wrong

In 2013, a developer announced plans to replace these three beach houses with an 11-unit row house project in the Alki Beach neighborhood.

72 views2 comments

SkyLink: Rising Above It All In West Seattle

Marie McKinsey

May 18, 2021
4 min

SkyLink: Rising Above It All In West Seattle

Did you know that trains don't run uphill? It's true. On level ground, those smooth metal wheels glide along those smooth metal rails,...

362 views0 comments

The Alaska Junction in West Seattle: A 15-minute City?

Marie McKinsey

May 7, 2021
5 min

The Alaska Junction in West Seattle: A 15-minute City?

Can West Seattle's Alaska Junction become a 15-minute city?

2,818 views6 comments

How to Calculate Storm Water Run-off from Your Property

Marie McKinsey

Mar 6, 2021
2 min

How to Calculate Storm Water Run-off from Your Property

The EPA estimates that over 770 cities in the US combine waste water and stormwater in the same pipe and send it to sewage treatment...

41 views0 comments

Were Sewer Breaks on Wickstrom Place Caused by Development?

Marie McKinsey

Oct 2, 2015
2 min

Were Sewer Breaks on Wickstrom Place Caused by Development?

During the weeks of controversy over the permitting of the Alki 11 rowhouses that now face 55th Ave SW and Wickstrom Place SW at Alki Beach,

24 views0 comments

The Sustainable Alternative to the Alki 11

Marie McKinsey

Jul 13, 2013
4 min

The Sustainable Alternative to the Alki 11

I wrote this when I had become tired of pointing out the problems with this project. Our protests fell on deaf ears anyway. It was clear tha

39 views0 comments

Will the Alki 11 Rowhouses Cause Flooding?

Marie McKinsey

Jun 29, 2013
5 min

Will the Alki 11 Rowhouses Cause Flooding?

If you've been following these posts for a while, you are familiar with the math: for every inch of rainfall, nearly 5500 gallons of stormwa

23 views0 comments

Over One MILLION Gallons of Waste Water - Where's It All Going to Go?

Marie McKinsey

Jun 27, 2013
2 min

Over One MILLION Gallons of Waste Water - Where's It All Going to Go?

In my last post, I explained how the Alki 11 rowhouse project on 55th Ave SW will add more than one million gallons of combined waste and st

19 views8 comments

How Much Sewage Will the Alki 11 Generate?

Marie McKinsey

Jun 19, 2013
2 min

How Much Sewage Will the Alki 11 Generate?

In an earlier post, I explained how to calculate the amount of stormwater runoff this project will produce. Now let's look at the amount of

20 views0 comments

Here's Where Things Get Serious: The Environmental Impacts of the Alki 11 Row Houses

Marie McKinsey

May 27, 2013
1 min

Here's Where Things Get Serious: The Environmental Impacts of the Alki 11 Row Houses

To really measure the environmental impact of a project, you have to look at what it replaces. When you compare the before and after, side b

10 views0 comments

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