Michael Luis

Michael Luis is a public policy consultant who has been wrestling with housing, growth and economic development issues around Washington State for over 30 years. He is author of several books on local history and served as mayor of Medina.

Indexer: Taking Over – Millennials Everywhere?

In dynamic West Coast cities, attracting young people from around the country does not seem to be a problem. Whether they choose to stay and build their lives in these cities is another question, and is tied closely to the price of housing and the lengths of commutes.

Housing the Homeless: Keep it Simple

Backyard housing for the homeless can get to a higher scale if we keep it simple, keep it inexpensive and leave complex case management to the professionals.

Explainer: Elizabeth Warren’s Single-Payer Plan

The Warren campaign came up with maybe the worst possible approach. But before we get to that, let’s put some numbers to this dilemma.

Explainer: The Real Challenge of Funding Single-payer Medicine

Each of these revenue sources is embedded in the economy and into the budgets of families, governments and businesses. This discussion should not just be on the narrow question of new revenues...

Jim Ellis’s Five Lessons On How To Get Big Things Done

Anyone with gauzy notions that things were easier back then — the myth of the ten white guys with cigars calling the shots from the Rainier Club — has not studied much regional history. Getting stuff done was hard back then, too.

Nope, Medina Is Hardly A Poster Child For Runaway City Spending

The tax and deficit situation in the town of Medina has nothing whatever to do with people like Gates and Bezos.

Indexer: Why It Feels Like Seattle Is Growing Faster (When It’s Not)

Growth is everywhere, our infrastructure is straining to keep up, and it feels like we're growing at an unprecedented rate. We're not. So why does it feel that way?

Indexer: Seattle’s Growth In Context

While Seattle is growing nicely, it isn't gaining in national rankings over the past 30 years. Seattle’s relative isolation, high costs and niche economic roles make it an unlikely breakout story.

Are Seattle’s Millennials Headed for Hipsturbia?

Are Millennials really that urban? Even before they began emerging from their parents’ basements, we were told that this generation will be the vanguard of the return to city living.

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