Sightline Institute

Sightline won't be posting as frequently here on X. Here's where you can find our latest, besides bsky.app/profile/sightl… ⬇️

Commonsense reforms can speed and simplify Oregon’s process for approving grid projects so the PNW can hook up more wind and solar and meet its climate goals. sightline.org/2026/03/26/fou…

Let’s not let one headline-grabbing study on the Northwest's electricity needs drive a fossil fuel backslide. Flexible power demand programs, energy efficiency, and an expanded grid are cleaner (and cheaper) options. sightline.org/2026/03/24/the…

Elevators are a key ingredient to homebuilding. How can we get more of them? On April 10, we’re hosting a webinar with @welcomingneighbors and the Center for Building in North America founder Stephen Smith to get into it. Register: sightline.org/going-up-or-ho…

Washington state opened the door to lower-cost, smaller elevators in new apartment and condo buildings. sightline.org/2026/03/19/was…

WA’s SB 6026 significantly boosts where builders can site new apartments, with a crucial measure of flexibility with ground-floor commercial space. sightline.org/2026/03/11/was…

Without adequate funding, “inclusionary zoning” mandates can backfire. OR’s SB 1521 will give Portland-area cities more flexibility in how they design affordability mandates for new buildings if they offset costs. sightline.org/2026/03/05/ore…

What does it look like when voters get a fair share of the seats at the table? #ProportionalRepresentation youtu.be/5PWeaE5dwl4?si…

Honest information about fire risk can forge the way for more transformative changes. sightline.org/fire-hazard-th…

No modern US metro has been better at adding people to already populated neighborhoods than Seattle. sightline.org/seattle-a-mode…

Missoula — join us Feb. 19 for a conversation on accessible transportation with author and advocate Anna Zivarts! sightline.org/when-driving-i…

Homes on wheels are a lifeline, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out. sightline.org/2026/01/26/fas…

A red state piloted better elections for voters—but national partisan pressures overwhelmed local support. sightline.org/2026/01/21/ran…

In OR’s Deschutes County, proportional representation can reflect voters’ views better than arbitrary lines.  sightline.org/2026/01/20/dis…

We asked former charter review commissioners for their best advice on bettering local government. Here’s what they had to say. sightline.org/2026/01/20/a-c…

NEW VIDEO: North America’s Elevator’s Problem Our latest video looks into the many issues plaguing North America’s elevator industry, and what it might take to fix it. youtu.be/Or1_qVdekYM

Why do the US and Canada have the fewest elevators among rich countries? To start, they cost three to four times more. youtu.be/Or1_qVdekYMhtt…

@MayorofSeattle is a renter. So is our climate director Emily Moore – and Emily has ideas for the newly-inaugurated Mayor Wilson to help renters get in on clean energy action like heat pumps, plug-in solar, and induction stoves. sightline.org/2026/01/08/kat…

How #WALeg can speed development of the transmission lines Washingtonians needed yesterday. sightline.org/2025/12/18/how…

This is why CA needs ranked top two. They're susceptible to the same misfire glitch as WA state: sightline.org/2025/11/11/wil…

Today, 2.5 years after an OR bill promised “transformational” changes to state housing policy, the new OHNA rules get a vote. sightline.org/2025/12/03/new…