Cascadia: Strong Communities, a Green Economy, a Healthy Environment
Sightline Institute’s nonpartisan, nonprofit research and policy solutions help the region reconcile people, place, and prosperity.
Learn MoreHow We Work
Practical, research-based policy solutions
Case-making and arguments to advance progress
Strategies for unusual coalitions to win
Resources for journalists, decision-makers, and advocates
Latest Research
All Sightline Institute research is available to you to cite, use, and share, per our free use policy.
Five Ways Election Reform Has Revamped Alaska Politics
Open primaries and ranked choice voting are no longer new but are still delivering for voters and leaders alike.
Four Ways to Get More Power Lines—and Clean Power—for Oregonians
Oregon may be one of the hardest places to build transmission lines. Here’s how to change that.
The Northwest Hasn’t Learned the Lessons of WPPSS (“Whoops”)
How overreliance on one grid study could drive a fossil fuel comeback in the Northwest.
Washington State Leads on Elevator Reform
SB 5156 opens the door to lower-cost, smaller elevators in new apartment and condo buildings—and more accessibility for residents.
Washington Just Passed First-in-the-US Flexibility for Ground-Floor Retail
It’s part of a new law to legalize more apartment homes in commercial zones.
Oregon’s New Path to Inclusionary Housing: Fully Funded and Flexible
An environmental justice champion led the push to end counterproductive, unfunded mandates.
Four Ways to Get More Power Lines—and Clean Power—for Oregonians
Oregon may be one of the hardest places to build transmission lines. Here’s how to change that.
The Northwest Hasn’t Learned the Lessons of WPPSS (“Whoops”)
How overreliance on one grid study could drive a fossil fuel comeback in the Northwest.
11% of Northwest Residents Live in Fire Country; 100% Pay the Price
1.6 million people live in high hazard areas. As the region continues to build in flammable landscapes, policymakers can protect communities with smarter building choices and the truth about rising risk.
Katie Wilson Can Be Seattle’s Climate Mayor for Renters
New programs for heat pumps, induction stoves, and plug-in solar would let renters reap the rewards of the clean energy revolution.
How the 2026 Washington Legislature Can Right-Size the Power Grid
A transmission authority, plus three other ideas, to speed development of the transmission lines Washingtonians needed yesterday.
The High Cost of Slow Permitting
Sluggish approval of Cascadian transmission projects inflates electricity bills and strands renewable energy.
Five Ways Election Reform Has Revamped Alaska Politics
Open primaries and ranked choice voting are no longer new but are still delivering for voters and leaders alike.
Video: Proportional Representation, Explained
What it looks like when voters get a fair share of the seats at the table.
Ranked Choice Voting, the Utah Way
How a conservative state piloted better elections for voters—lessons from four of the movement’s leaders.
Districts Won’t Truly Represent Deschutes County Residents
Proportional representation can better reflect voters’ views than arbitrary lines.
A Charter Commissioner’s Guide to Election Reform
Sightline asked former commissioners for their best advice. Here’s what they had to say.
A Two-Word Fix for Alaska’s Ballot Confusion
Letting parties tag their nominees would make Alaska’s elections clearer, fairer, and harder to hijack by disingenuous candidates.
Washington State Leads on Elevator Reform
SB 5156 opens the door to lower-cost, smaller elevators in new apartment and condo buildings—and more accessibility for residents.
Washington Just Passed First-in-the-US Flexibility for Ground-Floor Retail
It’s part of a new law to legalize more apartment homes in commercial zones.
Oregon’s New Path to Inclusionary Housing: Fully Funded and Flexible
An environmental justice champion led the push to end counterproductive, unfunded mandates.
Seattle’s No-Cost Emissions Cut
The climate benefits of urban neighborhoods, all for the low price of letting people live where they want.
Fast, Affordable, Illegal
Homes on wheels are a lifeline for families, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out.
Video: Fixing North America’s Big Elevator Problem
Our bans on smaller elevators block accessible homes, and our insistence on unique standards drives up prices.
Washington State Leads on Elevator Reform
SB 5156 opens the door to lower-cost, smaller elevators in new apartment and condo buildings—and more accessibility for residents.
Washington Just Passed First-in-the-US Flexibility for Ground-Floor Retail
It’s part of a new law to legalize more apartment homes in commercial zones.
Oregon’s New Path to Inclusionary Housing: Fully Funded and Flexible
An environmental justice champion led the push to end counterproductive, unfunded mandates.
Seattle’s No-Cost Emissions Cut
The climate benefits of urban neighborhoods, all for the low price of letting people live where they want.
Fast, Affordable, Illegal
Homes on wheels are a lifeline for families, but zoning codes are still trying to keep them out.
Video: Fixing North America’s Big Elevator Problem
Our bans on smaller elevators block accessible homes, and our insistence on unique standards drives up prices.
Featured report
Seattle: A Model for Low-Sprawl Urban Growth | To learn how to grow a city by sprawling outward, Americans can generally look to the South. But to learn how to grow in and up, they should instead look to the Northwest.
Learn moreFeatured report
Fire Hazard: The Mounting Costs of Northwest Sprawl | Honest information about homes’ fire risk can forge the way for more transformative changes to build out of harm’s way.
Read the reportInvest in solutions
Join us! Sightline’s community of donors and partners fuels our research—and makes forward-thinking policy progress a reality.
Donate