When Seattle just said ‘no’

Three instances where visions of the future ran up against the Seattle Process.

Knute Berger

Knute Berger Jun 18, 2025

Oct 16, 2018

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          <article>
            <header>
              <hgroup>
                <h1>When Seattle just said ‘no’</h1>
                <h2><p>Three instances where visions of the future ran up against the Seattle Process.</p></h2>
              </hgroup>
               <p>By <a href="/author/knute-berger/">Knute Berger</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Oct 16, 2018</time></p>
            </header>
            <figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://player.pbs.org/partnerplayer/b5eqK-NW6cRJ8VbO0dviPw==/?start=0&amp;end=0&amp;topbar=false&amp;autoplay=false&amp;endscreen=false" width="100%"></iframe></figure><p>People often wonder: why did we wait so long for mass transit? Folks sometimes ask: why don’t we have a central park? Or maybe: Why isn't this city more walkable? The answer: we voted against it. Seattle has a history of saying “no” to grand ideas. In this episode, Knute explores the Seattles that might have been — but died at the ballot box.</p>
          </article>

People often wonder: why did we wait so long for mass transit? Folks sometimes ask: why don’t we have a central park? Or maybe: Why isn't this city more walkable? The answer: we voted against it. Seattle has a history of saying “no” to grand ideas. In this episode, Knute explores the Seattles that might have been — but died at the ballot box.

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By Knute Berger

Knute “Mossback” Berger is an editor-at-large and host of "Mossback’s Northwest" at Cascade PBS. He writes about politics and regional heritage.