Waiting for the interurban : the politics of light-rail planning in Seattle

Abstract

Transportation systems pose some of the most intractable challenges to sustainable, climate-friendly cities. As the fastest growing source of greenhouse-gas emissions, transportation is critical to sustainability. Yet transportation planning is complex, involving dynamic, multi-modal systems, and requiring the collaboration of multiple jurisdictions. Efforts to implement a more sustainable transportation system, therefore typically confront multiple barriers. This thesis examines a 20-year process to establish a light-rail system in Seattle, Washington to explore the opportunities for and obstacles to devising sustainable metropolitan transportation systems.