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Spokane: The Pacific Northwest’s Hidden Gem
Spokane may seem like a minor player in the region, yet it has distinguished itself as a powerhouse of planning innovation. In 2023, Spokane Transit Authority's City Line began service. This six-mile, bus-rapid-transit (BRT) line offers service from 6 am to 6 pm with 15-minute headways, connecting downtown with some of the city's oldest neighborhoods. A new ten-mile line is in the works (expected opening, 2030) that will connect the city even more.
Equity-Focused Zoning Enables Housing Access
In coordination with the new BRT lines, the city adopted an equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) strategy to concentrate housing, shopping, and employment within a ½ mile of BRT stations. This strategy specifically focuses on ensuring that housing in ETODs meets the needs of people at a diverse range of incomes. Recently, the strategy was expanded with the rezoning of nearly 500 acres in the city's University District so that students of the three major universities can take advantage of frequent bus service and access to major employers.
Spokane has also adopted some of Washington state's most progressive and expansive housing reforms. Known as Building Opportunity for Housing (BOH), this program adopted a collection of carefully targeted amendments to the zoning code, reversing decades of exclusionary zoning and development standards in the city and allowing many more housing types in every neighborhood. For the first time since the end of World War II, Spokane has allowed single-unit homes, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes everywhere in the city (except for industrial zones). The number of units allowed on residential parcels is only limited by codes restricting building heights, dimensions, and setbacks.
The key to BOH's effectiveness has been the City Council's elimination of zoning-required off-street parking. Spokane is one of the first cities of its size, or larger, to follow the advice of Donald Shoup (among others) and repeal minimum parking requirements.
The impact has been dramatic. Since 2022, when the Spokane City Council began this endeavor, the number of building permits has hit record levels. In 2024, the city permitted more than 1,300 units, its highest number in history.
Spokane Cultivates Planners Shaping Regional Transformation
The City of Spokane is part of a larger community of innovators in the PNW who are throwing out the old rules and creating communities for the 21st Century. This community includes the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Spokane County, and the eleven towns and cities in the county, as well as the various towns and cities in nearby Idaho, including Coeur d'Alene.
For over 50 years, Eastern Washington University's (EWU) Urban & Regional Planning Program has been part of this community. EWU is home to one of the nation's only accredited undergraduate urban planning degrees, and it is the only state university to offer both an accredited Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning and a Master of Urban & Regional Planning degree. The planning education at EWU immerses students in the region's professional community, which is why EWU can boast a near 100% job placement rate, with many alumni choosing to stay and contribute to this dynamic and growing region.
Spokane offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore the question, "What if your classroom were an entire city in transformation?" From BRT to ETOD, indigenous communities to brand-new housing developments, EWU's planning students are leading the way in transforming their passion into professional impact.
About the Sponsor: Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University's Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning (BUARP) and Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) programs transform passionate learners into influential planners in the Pacific Northwest's most exciting urban laboratory. With evening classes and deep industry connections, EWU's planning program has launched hundreds of planning careers across a thriving region.
Learn more on the Eastern Washington University website
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