Midweek Roundup: ‘Summer of Soccer’

Reminders: Seattle is hosting 5 more FIFA World Cup games over coming weeks. Keep an eye on your transit agency's service alerts and be aware there may be crowds at unusual times. Bikes and scooters are banned from Link trains on game days.

This Friday, June 19, is Juneteenth, and Seattle hosting a match between the USA and Australia at noon. Despite the federal holiday, most transit services will operate on normal weekday schedules. Sound Transit offers ways to celebrate freedom, resilience, and the beautiful game.

Transit & Streets:

• Seattle World Cup's biggest win: Pioneer Square pedestrian zone (KUOW).
• Meet the artist behind the limited-edition World Cup ORCA transit card (The Seattle Times, $)
• Sound Transit launches several upgrades as Summer of Soccer' begins (The Platform)
• Zahilay Rolls Out Updated Transit Plan, as Budget Woes Cloud Metro's Future (The Urbanist). Also on Metro Matters.
• Op-Ed: Help Seattle Get the Frequent Transit Network We Deserve (The Urbanist; MASS Coalition op-ed cosigned by STB).
• Amtrak Cascades Speeds Up Trips from Vancouver, BC with Preclearance (The Urbanist).
• Sound Transit Says Reports of Ballard Link's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (The Urbanist).
• King County Transportation District approves new sales tax in close vote (The Kent Reporter, soft $).
• Sound Transit is setting up a pop-up merch shop at International District Station Plaza during World Cup game days (The Platform).
• Tell SDOT what you think about the Pike Place Market vehicle barriers (SDOT Blog). Survey open until June 30.

Land Use & Housing:

• Op-Ed: To Save Mandatory Housing Affordability, We Have to Recalibrate It (The Urbanist).
• King County's cooling divide: New data maps our AC haves and have-nots (The Seattle Times, $)

Elsewhere:

• One City Might Have Just Cracked the Housing Crisis (The New York Times, gift link). How the Squamish nation in Vancouver, BC, is rapidly building a super-dense neighborhood unhindered by restrictive zoning and onerous reviews.
• The US Is Building More Housing Near Transit, But Not Nearly Enough (Bloomberg CityLab)
• Small, Unloved and Unkempt, These Unusual Properties Are Hot in Australia (The New York Times, gift link). In Sydney, decommissioned electrical substations are being converted into housing.

This is an Open Thread.