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Sightline Institute
@sightline.org
Think tank cooking up nonpartisan policy research on housing, energy, climate, and democracy in Cascadia. 🧠🍳 Likes/follows ≠ endorsements.

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@emry-dinman.bsky.social includes this 1914 activist billboard from Rockford, Illinois that highlights ideas from the economist Henry George:

"The profit is unearned increment made possible by the presence of this community and enterprise of its people." (photo via NY Public Library)
January 5, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Sightline Institute
It'll also be the basis for a lot of my own work for @sightline.org in 2026: making cities more accessible, age-friendly, fiscally healthy and grocery-bag-ready by removing the cost and legal barriers to elevators.

This is now an elevator stan account. You have been warned.
December 31, 2025 at 6:52 PM
And in #BritishColumbia, a vacancy tax increase activates Jan. 1, and a mandate for BC cities to re-zone for small apartments has a June deadline.

The future's bright! 😎
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Speaking of parking, today is the final extended deadline for non-tiny cities to comply with OR's 2022 reform. Cities representing 2/3 of the state's population have now made on-site parking fully flexible. (The last to comply was Gresham, in Nov 2025.) @citizen-cate.bsky.social
Oregon Just Slashed Parking Mandates. 5 Things That Might Happen Next | Sightline Institute
This article is part of the series Parking? Lots! On Thursday, Oregon approved the largest rollback to parking mandates in modern US history. The unanimous vote by the state’s land use commission came...
www.sightline.org
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Montana's parking reforms take effect later in the year. Small homes and multifamily buildings in the ten largest cities will no longer be required to have any particular number of off-street parking spaces — swapping pavement for more homes, living area, or green space. @dannytenenbaum.bsky.social
Montana's Housing Miracle Strikes Twice | Sightline Institute
Bipartisan efforts won a string of bills for more homes, lower costs, and less red tape for Montanans—with lessons for other states.
www.sightline.org
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Alaska will see full implementation of its "Green Bank" energy financing in 2026 — that means more $$$ for heat pumps, solar tech, grid upgrades, and other renewable projects.
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Also in OR, Multnomah County will use #RankedChoiceVoting for the first time in November '26! @fairvote.bsky.social @rosecityreform.bsky.social
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Plus, new planned communities in OR will no longer be allowed to ban manufactured or prefabricated homes.
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Starting tomorrow, Oregon cities will be evaluated based on the number of building permits they issue relative to their peers — and underperforming cities will be required to legalize apartment buildings on more land. @andersem.bsky.social
New Oregon Rules Will Re-Legalize Neighborhood Apartments | Sightline Institute
Over time, the state zoning standards make space for tens of thousands more homes in Oregon cities.
www.sightline.org
December 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM