The recent snowfall here in Seattle, and its impact on all of the city's neighborhoods, has helped us see many of the things we take for granted in new ways. It's easier, for example, to imagine no cars when there are barely any in sight, letting pedestrians and people using alternative forms of transportation (like snowshoes, toboggans and cross-country skis!) own the roads for a few days. In addition to speculating on the snow, we've seen some new developments in sustainable building design, innovative use in public space, and more. Though our Seattle staff is out of the office for most of this week, here's a roundup of the recent work that has appeared on our local Seattle blog that we hope you'll enjoy:

Eco-Laboratory
As Justus Stewart puts it, we now live in an era where the
"living building" level of green building should be the norm. A team of exceptional young designers here in Seattle is pushing this vision with an award-winning concept.

Incentive Zoning: A Good Plan For Affordable Housing?
There's been a lot of buzz in the news recently about the City of Seattle's draft incentive zoning code provisions, a piece of legislation designed to promote the creation of affordable housing. Here's how it works…

Snowbound Community Building
The break in routine was also enough to help envision a different kind of downtown, where most of the noise in the air comes from people, and where crowds walking down the street are the norm.

Local Business Profile: Lighting Design Lab
Jennifer Power sits down with Jeff Robbins, lighting specialist, to find out more about the history and goals behind this energy-savvy Seattle lighting resource.

Burien/Interim Art Space
On January 24, Burien will unveil a project that transforms a vacant construction site into a public gathering place for community members of all ages. Ashley DeForest reports.

Alex Steffen to Ron Sims: The Viaduct and the Seawall
To support the surface/transit option and to underline the key reasons for repairing and enhancing the seawall, Worldchanging Executive Editor Alex Steffen sent the following letter to King County Executive Ron Sims.

Are you here in Seattle? We'd like to hear from you! Check out the local blog and leave comments, or contact editor[at]Worldchanging[dot]com if you have ideas or would like to write.

Photo credit: Photo credit: flickr/arycogre, Creative Commons license.

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