What We're Reading: Go Electric, Locked Out, And Seattle Soda Tax

Go electric: Electric cars are increasingly becoming a better option over gas-fueled cars once electricity energy emissions are taken into account (but walking, biking, and transit are still better). Conflicted: Streetsblog reports that Miami Beach wants affordable housing, yet the city won’t relax parking requirements to get it. Everett housing: An Everett hearing examiner has approved a subdivision of city-owned that would allow a 65-unit low-income apartment housing project to be operated by Catholic Housing Authority, an arm of Catholic Community Services of Western Washington. Google SLU: Google is planning to set up shop in South Lake Union with its cloud division. Locked out: In Seattle, a working paid minimum wage would have to work 87 hours per week to afford an average one-bedroom apartment. Tacoma’s way: Like Seattle, Tacoma has a homeless crisis, but the city is taking a different approach to addressing it. Trainwreck: There is a chance that an oil train proposal on the Columbia River could be stopped. Needing reform: Heidi Groover explains how Seattle’s rental housing inspection program is failing renters. Renovating the Key: Mayor Ed Murray announced this week that a bid to fully overhaul and redesign the Seattle Center Coliseum has been selected. IndyGo: Yonah Freemark says that Indianapolis has a long way to go to get transit right. Rustbelt highway removal: Akron, Ohio plans to ditch a portion of its downtown highway, but what should it be replaced with PDX CLT: A 12-story tower in Portland’s Pearl District will become the first of its kind in America using cross-laminated timber instead of the traditional concrete and steel approach to mid-rise and high-rise construction. Registering renter voters: Councilmember Kshama Sawant plans to sponsor legislation that would require landlords to provide voter registration forms and information to tenants who move-in, but the landlord lobbyists are losing it over the proposal. Peninsula transit: A new bus service on the Olympic Peninsula called the Strait Shot will start on June 17th. Bike fixers: Hartford, Connecticut now offers roadside assistance to bicyclists. Woke: London’s wealthiest neighborhood Kensington voted for Labour, Britain’s largest progressive political party, in a bizarre snap election for the House of Commons that resulted in a hung parliament. Seattle soda tax: Seattle is set to implement a tax on soda to encourage public health and use proceeds for public services. Map of the Week: National Geographic has a fantastic map of ships buried below San Francisco. Also, CityLab shared an interesting subway-style map of ancient Roman roads.