Urban appeal

We are living in an era of urban renaissance. Cities are magnets for creative people and companies. Help Crosscut's urban experts cover this shift. Become a member today.
Crosscut archive image.

Downtown Seattle, as seen from Kite Hill at Gasworks Park

We are living in an era of urban renaissance. Cities are magnets for creative people and companies. Help Crosscut's urban experts cover this shift. Become a member today.

Over the last 40 years, our region has emerged from a little-known, backwater company town to a metropolitan area of global importance. These days, it’s hard not to come across a mention of Seattle in some newspaper or magazine discussing such subjects as technology, outdoor recreation, bicycling to work or urban development. Over the last 20 years, we have seen a distinct shift towards urban living.

I am pleased to be one of the writers who has frequently commented on aspects of the regional urbanism we are experiencing. Fortunately for our region, Crosscut has a whole cadre of people who make keen observations about this part of the world, and they need your support.

Crosscut archive image.
Mark Hinshaw

Certainly, with some people, the hinterlands are still popular. But the economy is now driven not by outward growth but by highly creative and entrepreneurial companies whose owners and employees thrive on being a part of cities. These changes affect us, and we rely on Crosscut News to tell us about them.

In many ways, you and I are embarking on an exploration of new forms of growth and development. Your membership support enables Crosscut to chronicle and comment on shifts in preferences and behavior. Crosscut’s take on community journalism is an essential force in building strong cities, towns and neighborhoods.

As we watch our urban lives change, we need Crosscut to shed light on those changes. For our region to be smarter, Crosscut must get bigger.

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P.S.: THIS WEEK ONLY! Membership contributions $250 and above will be entered to win 3 tickets to see the Seattle Mariners play the Oakland Athletics, with Publisher Greg Shaw, in the owners’ suite, on Saturday, September 28th at 1:30 p.m.!

  

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About the Authors & Contributors

Mark Hinshaw

Mark Hinshaw

Mark Hinshaw, FAIA, is an architect and urban planner. He was an architecture critic for The Seattle Times and is the author of many articles and books, including Citistate Seattle (1999).