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Marco Lowe

@marcolowe.bsky.social
714 followers 1K following 503 posts

Personal Account. He/Him. Former Seattle COO, Seattle U Prof/speaker, Wrote 'Powershift', Board of @FFI_Solutions. Housing Zealot. Climate Hawk. Energy Nerd. Community College Stan.

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Reposted by Marco Lowe
Jennifer @jenwith1n.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Vancouver, WA did the biggest upzone / deregulation possibly in the entire nation and not enough people are talking about it. And this all came from City staff - they didn’t have community advocates demanding this for years!
A chart showing the zoning districts with minimum density and maximum height that have been in effect since July 1, 2025. In the “low scale” zone, the lowest density other than manufactured home parks, the minimum density is 8 du/ac and the max height is three floors (45 feet). Vancouver, WA’s new zoning map, which has just 10 zones.The four comprehensive plan designations and ten zones in Vancouver. The four comp plan designations are residential neighborhoods, urban mixed use, employment and industry, and green space.
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Tomorrow, October 6, City Council hears public comment on the budget for the first time. For Seattle is supporting @mayor.seattle.gov $37 million investment in shelter expansion, so more of our neighbors have a safe place to stay. (1/2)
docs.google.com
Seattle High-Support Shelter and Throughput to Housing: Sign-On Letter (Q3 2026)
The sign-on letter below will be used to advocate for the need for robust shelter investment, maintaining critical investments in permanent supportive housing, and in setting up a system that uses bot...
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Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · 02/10/2026
I really don't understand America's culture of forcing service workers to be on their feet all day.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 30/09/2026
Today on Volts: Heat-pump water heaters use a fraction of the energy of the conventional kind, but they've often been bulky, loud, & a hassle to install. A company called Reservoir has made one that's smaller, quieter, & much smarter, installed in hours by their own plumbers. I talk with the CEO.
volts.wtf
What’s up with heat-pump water heaters?
A conversation with Luke Winston-Almanzar of Reservoir.
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
23,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules. That’s the amount of heat the oceans absorbed in 2025. A number so huge it’s almost meaningless…until you realise it’s roughly 40× humanity’s annual energy use. The ocean is buying us time. We’re running out of it. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
World’s oceans absorbed record heat equal to 40 times annual global energy use
The injection of thermal energy comes amid an increasing rise in sea levels and continuing acidification
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The Vampire LesMak @lesleynope.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The woman carrying the baby and food in the Giants game clip that went viral has written the full story of her marriage and what happened in the stands that night. If you’ve commented or shared any of the clips you also need to read and share her story themomoftheyear.substack.com/p/im-the-mom...
themomoftheyear.substack.com
I’m the Mom in That Viral Giants Clip. Let Me Tell You About My Husband.
You saw me carrying our baby and food. There was more happening in our family that night.
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Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
rebranding AI has a “freedom fries” feeling to it
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Trends show a decline in new permits, meaning less housing being built when we need more. Seattle City Councilmembers Hollingsworth and Foster have proposed unsticking MHA, which could build more homes, now. 🧵(1/2)
forseattle.substack.com
Yes to the Housing Accelerator, fix the resolution
Seattle City Councilmembers Hollingsworth and Foster have proposed unsticking something that could build more homes, now. This is follow-through in action, but the accompanying resolution needs work.
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 12/09/2026
I absolutely LOVE this. Christian Bale spent roughly 17 years fighting to make this happen. This week, his foster-care village opened in Palmdale, California: 12 homes built specifically to help keep siblings together when they enter foster care.
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Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“They are more likely to colonize Mars than win a defamation case against Alex Gibney,” she told NPR in a statement. “Alex Spiro is sending fairy dust letters with obtuse legalese.”
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
As a group of community members coming together to help local government actually follow through, one concrete result at a time, we got into all this work over housing and the cost of living. We’re also taking on a third thing, safety, because all else depends on it. 🧵(1/3)
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Given the unusual timing & challenges, Vancouver’s Granville Street pedestrian zone 7-Week extension since the World Cup ended is one of the most important street transformation pilots in North America. The public support for the street has been remarkable. This week/weekend is the last. Come see.
People walking along the pedestrian Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver this past weekend during the Dutch Street Market.All sorts of activities on Granville Street, including simple games like cornhole toss. Constantly in use. Simple things like games and chalk work very well, especially with kids and families, but also with adults!Area assigned for kids to play mini-soccer on the street.The ability of the street to attract kids and families was a specific goal for the extension, and a specific success that we’ve seen realized.
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Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
these harmonies. (studio version) www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQMr...
youtube.com
Dolly Parton - Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus) (Official Audio) ft. Miley Cyrus
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
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Marco Lowe @marcolowe.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Climbing interest rates and a quagmire with Iran make Trump's term look a lot like Carter's.
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Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
“A single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it would replace, according to a new preprint study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health.” ysph.yale.edu/news-article...
ysph.yale.edu
Universal Health Coverage Could Save $1 Trillion and 114,000 Lives Every Year, Yale Study Projects
A single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it
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NE Ohio Regional Sewer District @neorsd.org · 15/08/2026
we feel the same way. but maybe at times like this, boring has some appeal.
neorsd.medium.com
Embrace boring.
Sewers and finding certainty in uncertain times.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 13/08/2026
This is unfathomably stupid, petty, & counterproductive, even to the administration's own stated goals. Hundreds of hours of good-faith expert work, vaporized.
energy.gov
Energy Secretary Announces Cancellation of Three Proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy will not move forward with designating the three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors previous...
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Marco Lowe @marcolowe.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Was watching a newly released live version of Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) from Digable Plantes and saw a Seattle Storm hat on Ishmael Butler! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw1D...
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Marco Lowe @marcolowe.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Spokane announced way to contribute to people impacted by the fires. my.spokanecity.org/endinghomele...
my.spokanecity.org
H.O.M.E. Starts Here Donations
Donations to the H.O.M.E. Starts Here Fund go directly to supporting services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
SEPA reform passed City Council last night, 5-4. For Seattle is proud to have supported this legislation that removes a duplicative process often used to delay housing our neighbors urgently need. Thank you to @cmeddielin.bsky.social for your leadership. 🧵(1/2)
completecommunitiescoalition.org
Complete Communities Coalition — Take Action!
Your voice is critical to shaping the Comprehensive Plan and the future of Seattle! We need your help and collective action to create an affordable, equitable, and sustainable city.
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Seattle's council votes tomorrow on how to feed hungry kids. We dug in and landed somewhere that surprised us: close the weekend and school-break gap first, reach families automatically so no one has to prove they're poor, and build to universal meals once it's funded for real. 🧵(1/2)
forseattle.substack.com
Making sure every kid in this city has food, every day
Seattle is choosing how to spend limited money on child hunger. Here's where we landed, and what you can do before the council votes.
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Marco Lowe @marcolowe.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My brother Mason wrote a great op-ed in today's Seattle Times: Seniors with dementia deserve help, not handcuffs. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/seni...
seattletimes.com
Seattle seniors with dementia deserve help, not handcuffs | Op-Ed
There are no simple solutions to the challenge that these vulnerable seniors present, but there are steps that we can take as a community.
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Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Scientists--if your funding was cut over the last year (for research on climate, global health, DEI, LGBTQ or womens health, etc) but you managed to keep the research going, I want to talk to you for an upcoming article! Plz contact me: gewin at me dot com. Re-posts appreciated!
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Utility Discount Program legislation passed unanimously today at City Council! 🎉 Thank you @cmdanstrauss.bsky.social for your leadership. 🧵(1/3)
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
We’re proud of what we showed the world Seattle is all about! When we set ambitious goals and work together, this city delivers. How do we keep that momentum going even when the world’s eyes aren’t on us? Let’s keep up the urgency, collaboration, and big thinking to deliver results year-round.
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
HE'S HOME!!!! 40 posters around the area. Probs 100 or so doors knocked on yesterday. A young girl had come to the door with her dad at one, when we'd knocked. She spotted him while coming home from a park. She and her friends alerted an adult who got the number off a nearby poster and rang us /1
small black kitty sat on top an old shed looking discombobulated.
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Utility Discount Program legislation passed 4-0 out of the Governance & Utilities Committee yesterday! 🎉 We are especially excited to share that the amendment For Seattle pushed for, adding a yearly enrollment reporting requirement, was adopted. 🧵1/3
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
"she asked for it"
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Rijksmuseum Art @rijksmuseumart.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Arcadisch landschap met figuren bij een rivieroever botfrens.com/collections/216/conten…
Wandschildering in het midden. Uit een serie van tien wandschilderingen met arcadische landschappen in de kamer aan de tuinkant op de hoofdverdieping van het huis Herengracht 524 te Amsterdam.
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Marco Lowe @marcolowe.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Worst Monday Night Football ever.
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daryl "rupert pumpkin" b 🏳️‍⚧️ @hypercubexl.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"think, spongebob! you'll outlast every fragile, insignificant being on this planet. you'll live to see this world crumble to dust and blow away"
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
"We urge the Mayor and Council to move forward with the Housing Accelerator now and pair it with a permanent fix ...More process shouldn't become one more reason we delay results." www.theurbanist.org/mha-housing-... @mayorofseattle.bsky.social @council.seattle.gov cc @theurbanist.org
theurbanist.org
MHA Housing Accelerator Proposal Hits Seattle Process Snag
After some nonprofit builders objected, the Housing Development Consortium pulled their support for Seattle's "Housing Accelerator" pilot program built on temporarily reducing builder fees. This led M...
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Marshe Summers @skymckinnon.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
We can totally do this with Pike Place Market.
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Moira Birss @moira.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Read this thread
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Robert Cruickshank @robertcruickshank.com · 03/07/2026
Seattle should follow Portland’s lead here, regardless of what the HDC suggests. MHA is very clearly not working. I backed it in 2015, the evidence is in, it failed. Time to do what works in PDX
sightline.org
Portland’s Inclusionary Zoning Program Is Finally Performing, New Data Suggests | Sightline Institute
Because for the first time, the city fully funded it.
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Dan Bertolet @danbertolet.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
One reason this backsliding never ends is because the deal itself reinforced the idea that taxing housing to pay for housing is fine as long as it’s calibrated. No. Unfunded inclusionary zoning is bad policy that harms renters in all economic conditions and it should be abolished everywhere.
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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The anti-vax group formerly led by Robert Kennedy Jr. has been promoting the story of a woman who says vaccines killed her 18-month-old twins. She’s the lead plaintiff in the group’s lawsuit against the American Academy of Pediatrics. Well, now she’s been charged with suffocating the toddlers.
importantcontext.news
Plaintiff in Children’s Health Defense Lawsuit Charged With Murder
A mother who blamed vaccines for the deaths of her toddler twins and joined the anti-vax group’s lawsuit against the American Academy of Pediatrics has been charged with murdering her children.
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Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
BREAKING: A deal that would have given housing developers a partial holiday on mandatory affordable housing fees has fallen through. The agreement, brokered between private-market developers, affordable housing developers, and the mayor's office, was supposed to culminate in legislation on Monday.
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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 30/06/2026
I know I am in the UK, but my view from over here is that the US Dems have completely failed to reckon with the scale of the threat that SCOTUS poses. It has been, in my assessment, the Dems' biggest failing. The level of complacency has been astounding.
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Seattle has an extra housing-appeal step the state already dropped. Over 10 years it delayed decisions by months and changed the outcome twice. @cmeddielin.bsky.social's bill, heard July 1, would fix it. Here's what it does, in plain English: forseattle.substack.com/p/clearing-r... #sepa
forseattle.substack.com
Clearing Redundant Process Means More Homes in Seattle
A bill before Seattle City Council next week would remove a redundant appeals step that almost never changes a decision but routinely delays new housing for months.
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Rijksmuseum Art @rijksmuseumart.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Het Damrak in de winter botfrens.com/collections/216/conten…
Het Damrak in de winter
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
May your bike lanes be protected and never end.
A painted bike lane with the words Ends
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Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Welcome to Day 2 of the State of the Science Summit on Reducing Methane from Animal Agriculture! After opening remarks by Dean Ashley Stokes, we start with a panel on bromoform-based feed additives moderated by Sinead Leahy, with professors Ermias Kebreab, Joseph McFadden, and Terry Engle.
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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Congratulations everybody.
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Seattle sets aside ~$35M a year to cut low-income families' power & water bills, then fails to deliver most of it: only ~36–44% of eligible households are enrolled. Our new piece on why, the fix, and why we back @cmdanstrauss.bsky.social's bill: forseattle.substack.com/p/udp-35-mil...
forseattle.substack.com
UDP: $35 Million We Set Aside and Never Sent
Why For Seattle’s next project is a utility bills discount program few are championing.
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Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
every time I say this, someone didn't know: you can get the NYRB, the New Yorker, the LRB, Paris Review, The Spectator (weirdly not New Statesman), The Week, both French & Italian Vogue & New Scientist among many many other magazines FREE via the Libby app from your local library?
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Carl @subzidion.com · 04/06/2026
Seattle City Light has had a power capacity problem brewing for years. Whether it's data centers or electric vehicles, they're going to have to bring a lot more generation online sooner rather than later...
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For Seattle @forseattlewa.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
HOP legislation passed 9-0 at @council.seattle.gov just now! A step towards many more homes, more quickly, in our fantastic city. Shoutouts to sponsors @linforseattle.bsky.social @alexis4seattle.bsky.social. Up next: tracking HOP's impact. For a refresher: forseattle.substack.com/p/join-us-tu...
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