Connor Stein
@connor-stein.bsky.social
Seattle-based architect interested in baugruppen, cooperative development, decommodified housing, & passive house construction.
Reposted by Connor Stein
it's not that i ever doubted that being a barista was a skilled position, but my year-long effort to try to produce a half-decent latte at home has convinced me that a good barista is easily more skilled than virtually every c-suite executive on the planet
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
it's not that i ever doubted that being a barista was a skilled position, but my year-long effort to try to produce a half-decent latte at home has convinced me that a good barista is easily more skilled than virtually every c-suite executive on the planet
Reposted by Connor Stein
This is really important.
The main thing that makes it hard to achieve integrated nature and green in cities isn’t density of buildings or density of people — it's density of cars. And the more well-designed and integrated density of people & buildings you achieve, the fewer cars you need or want.
The main thing that makes it hard to achieve integrated nature and green in cities isn’t density of buildings or density of people — it's density of cars. And the more well-designed and integrated density of people & buildings you achieve, the fewer cars you need or want.
November 9, 2025 at 8:09 AM
This is really important.
The main thing that makes it hard to achieve integrated nature and green in cities isn’t density of buildings or density of people — it's density of cars. And the more well-designed and integrated density of people & buildings you achieve, the fewer cars you need or want.
The main thing that makes it hard to achieve integrated nature and green in cities isn’t density of buildings or density of people — it's density of cars. And the more well-designed and integrated density of people & buildings you achieve, the fewer cars you need or want.
Reposted by Connor Stein
Also, Cascadia Single-Payer healthcare, when? Or whatever. Just like, let's declare healthcare sovereignty, since we're joining up on other healthcare things already...
November 10, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Also, Cascadia Single-Payer healthcare, when? Or whatever. Just like, let's declare healthcare sovereignty, since we're joining up on other healthcare things already...
Reposted by Connor Stein
If you've tried and failed to follow what Seattle's new zoning might allow, I've got you. Here are 4 case studies showing some of the exciting ways new incentives line up with current demand and emerging household demographic trends, with a focus on stacked flats.
medium.com/@matthutchin...
medium.com/@matthutchin...
Making Seattle neighborhoods more accessible by design
Four case studies on how new zoning incentives align with demographic shifts to meet housing demand.
medium.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:13 AM
If you've tried and failed to follow what Seattle's new zoning might allow, I've got you. Here are 4 case studies showing some of the exciting ways new incentives line up with current demand and emerging household demographic trends, with a focus on stacked flats.
medium.com/@matthutchin...
medium.com/@matthutchin...
Can't wrap my head around split ballots voting for AMR/Dionne Foster for citywide council seats and Harrell for mayor. Someone please explain this to me.
November 5, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Can't wrap my head around split ballots voting for AMR/Dionne Foster for citywide council seats and Harrell for mayor. Someone please explain this to me.
Bruce Harrell isn't the public safety candidate, @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social is! Harrell hasn't been a champion for transit, cycling, walking, rolling. In fact, he's been actively detrimental to these efforts in many cases. Vote Katie Wilson!
The “surprising” concern is traffic safety. I think @sngreenways.bsky.social deserves a lot of credit for normalizing traffic violence as a public safety concern. It outranks property crime and homelessness citywide.
Seattle University's annual survey on public safety, initiated in 2015, shows how local perceptions of crime, safety and policing have shifted.
November 3, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Bruce Harrell isn't the public safety candidate, @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social is! Harrell hasn't been a champion for transit, cycling, walking, rolling. In fact, he's been actively detrimental to these efforts in many cases. Vote Katie Wilson!
Reposted by Connor Stein
I can’t believe that after eight months of campaigning, we’re finally just two days from election day. As frightening as these times are, I’ve never been more hopeful about the future of our city. This has never been about me — this is about all of us.
November 3, 2025 at 12:53 AM
I can’t believe that after eight months of campaigning, we’re finally just two days from election day. As frightening as these times are, I’ve never been more hopeful about the future of our city. This has never been about me — this is about all of us.
It's time
We should just secede with them. 😩
Today I announced an agreement between Washington state, Oregon, and British Columbia to renew and strengthen our partnership.
Together, the Cascadia region will address housing affordability, invest in clean energy, and create the conditions for long-term economic growth.
Together, the Cascadia region will address housing affordability, invest in clean energy, and create the conditions for long-term economic growth.
October 30, 2025 at 4:13 AM
It's time
Genuinely bizarre to me to encounter local posters shitting on our progressive candidates in defense of the most reactionary centrist candidates imaginable only for their timeline to be full of resist lib anti-Trump reposts. What lab were you grown in?
October 29, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Genuinely bizarre to me to encounter local posters shitting on our progressive candidates in defense of the most reactionary centrist candidates imaginable only for their timeline to be full of resist lib anti-Trump reposts. What lab were you grown in?
Harrell pulling the pin on a budget grenade as one of his last acts in office is petty, not to say downright harmful to many in our city.
The "full audit" council is also full of shit. They don't care about fiscal responsibility. That's a dog whistle for cutting funding for everything except cops.
The "full audit" council is also full of shit. They don't care about fiscal responsibility. That's a dog whistle for cutting funding for everything except cops.
ICYMI: I took a deep-dive look at Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's proposed budget, which adds $53 million in new election-year spending. This week, the city council is piling their own, even bigger list of proposed new spending onto a budget that is already massively out of balance starting in 2027.
A Closer Look at Mayor Harrell's Rickety 2026 City Budget Proposal
Harrell's budget relies on fiscal tricks, general-fund backfills, and big deficits to fund increases in cops, graffiti teams, and shelter beds.
publicola.com/2025/10/28/a...
Harrell's budget relies on fiscal tricks, general-fund backfills, and big deficits to fund increases in cops, graffiti teams, and shelter beds.
publicola.com/2025/10/28/a...
October 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Harrell pulling the pin on a budget grenade as one of his last acts in office is petty, not to say downright harmful to many in our city.
The "full audit" council is also full of shit. They don't care about fiscal responsibility. That's a dog whistle for cutting funding for everything except cops.
The "full audit" council is also full of shit. They don't care about fiscal responsibility. That's a dog whistle for cutting funding for everything except cops.
In 2023, the average total development cost of French social housing was 2,550 €/m² or about $275/ft².
In Seattle, I recently saw an infill developer claim they built a 5-pack townhouse for $275/ft² in hard costs alone. Larger wood frame apartment projects might be in the realm of $325-375/ft².
In Seattle, I recently saw an infill developer claim they built a 5-pack townhouse for $275/ft² in hard costs alone. Larger wood frame apartment projects might be in the realm of $325-375/ft².
Okay this report on the cost of social housing suggests that it is a total development cost, and the cost of construction has remained well under €2,000 psm through 2023 www.banquedesterritoires.fr/sites/defaul...
October 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
In 2023, the average total development cost of French social housing was 2,550 €/m² or about $275/ft².
In Seattle, I recently saw an infill developer claim they built a 5-pack townhouse for $275/ft² in hard costs alone. Larger wood frame apartment projects might be in the realm of $325-375/ft².
In Seattle, I recently saw an infill developer claim they built a 5-pack townhouse for $275/ft² in hard costs alone. Larger wood frame apartment projects might be in the realm of $325-375/ft².
Reposted by Connor Stein
Taking a page out of @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s book: If you think the problem is that my parents are helping with my childcare expenses during this campaign, vote for Harrell. If you know the problem is that childcare is wildly unaffordable in Seattle, vote for me.
I address the first scandal of my political life—Momgate.
October 28, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Taking a page out of @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s book: If you think the problem is that my parents are helping with my childcare expenses during this campaign, vote for Harrell. If you know the problem is that childcare is wildly unaffordable in Seattle, vote for me.
Reposted by Connor Stein
If children who are not related to you do not call you “Aunt” or “Uncle” then you have no charisma and no light in your eyes.
I used to love how my daughter's little friend Neha, down the street, would call me "Uncle Jeff" when the girls were little.
October 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM
If children who are not related to you do not call you “Aunt” or “Uncle” then you have no charisma and no light in your eyes.
Reposted by Connor Stein
I address the first scandal of my political life—Momgate.
October 28, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I address the first scandal of my political life—Momgate.
Reposted by Connor Stein
The world is deeply unserious about dealing with climate change. We need to reduce emissions by 50% in 5 years and we're nowhere near that.
World’s climate plans fall drastically short of action needed, analysis shows
Recent plans submitted to UN by more than 60 countries would cut carbon by only 10%, a sixth of what is needed
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:06 AM
The world is deeply unserious about dealing with climate change. We need to reduce emissions by 50% in 5 years and we're nowhere near that.
Reposted by Connor Stein
The 2050 goal is increasingly meaningless. 1.5 is gone. The warmer it gets, the more damage & destruction climate change will produce. The more people will die. Climate risks are v likely strongly non-linear, e.g. tipping points and derailment risks. 5/6 esd.copernicus.org/articles/14/...
Derailment risk: A systems analysis that identifies risks which could derail the sustainability transition
Abstract. The consequences of climate change, nature loss, and other changes to the Earth system will impact societies' ability to tackle the causes of these problems. There are extensive agendas of s...
esd.copernicus.org
October 22, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The 2050 goal is increasingly meaningless. 1.5 is gone. The warmer it gets, the more damage & destruction climate change will produce. The more people will die. Climate risks are v likely strongly non-linear, e.g. tipping points and derailment risks. 5/6 esd.copernicus.org/articles/14/...
Reposted by Connor Stein
We deserve better. Dehumanizing our neighbors by using photos of them on their worst days without their consent is unacceptable. We have a lot of work to do to address homelessness, but this only moves us further from that goal by othering real people in an attempt to score cheap political points.
October 28, 2025 at 3:38 AM
We deserve better. Dehumanizing our neighbors by using photos of them on their worst days without their consent is unacceptable. We have a lot of work to do to address homelessness, but this only moves us further from that goal by othering real people in an attempt to score cheap political points.
Virtually none of the criticisms made by incumbent homeowners are made in good faith. This type of person will never be satisfied with a project. They want to preserve their neighborhood in amber.
This same community opposed this project when it was market rate because it “wasn’t affordable”. Now it’s 100% affordable family sized units and the community is still doing that design review delay tactic thing.
Collette, a neighbor, is asking, skeptically, about the color and the brick and the upkeep and possibility of an empty storefront, graffiti, "big white square modern thing." Something about "shit show." Ugh. Developer says there will be an on-site property manager and SRM will manage the building.
October 28, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Virtually none of the criticisms made by incumbent homeowners are made in good faith. This type of person will never be satisfied with a project. They want to preserve their neighborhood in amber.
Bruce Harrell is totally unqualified to lead Seattle. By his own words, Harrell's value system places maintaining the status quo above standing up to people credibly accused of child sexual assault.
Over on Insta - @joemallahan.bsky.social has a video that should disqualify Harrell from ever being in office again.
We don't need someone who stands with abusers, time after time, and makes jokes to deflect responsibility for it.
Vote for Katie Wilson
We don't need someone who stands with abusers, time after time, and makes jokes to deflect responsibility for it.
Vote for Katie Wilson
October 27, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Bruce Harrell is totally unqualified to lead Seattle. By his own words, Harrell's value system places maintaining the status quo above standing up to people credibly accused of child sexual assault.
This is the type of relatively small project a climate mayor could replicate all over the city. In this case, the intersection includes
1. crappy surface parking
2. brand new apt bldg
3. small commercial space
4. new playground for #5
5. new (mostly empty) office bldg w/ childcare on the ground flr
1. crappy surface parking
2. brand new apt bldg
3. small commercial space
4. new playground for #5
5. new (mostly empty) office bldg w/ childcare on the ground flr
October 27, 2025 at 3:40 PM
This is the type of relatively small project a climate mayor could replicate all over the city. In this case, the intersection includes
1. crappy surface parking
2. brand new apt bldg
3. small commercial space
4. new playground for #5
5. new (mostly empty) office bldg w/ childcare on the ground flr
1. crappy surface parking
2. brand new apt bldg
3. small commercial space
4. new playground for #5
5. new (mostly empty) office bldg w/ childcare on the ground flr
Reposted by Connor Stein
none of that housing was because of harrell, despite his repeated claims ('i built 50k homes')
permits cratered under harrell
inadequate housing levy
pathetic comprehensive plan that harms renters
oh and it's years late
oh and it killed 4k affordable homes
and he opposed social housing
permits cratered under harrell
inadequate housing levy
pathetic comprehensive plan that harms renters
oh and it's years late
oh and it killed 4k affordable homes
and he opposed social housing
October 26, 2025 at 5:12 PM
none of that housing was because of harrell, despite his repeated claims ('i built 50k homes')
permits cratered under harrell
inadequate housing levy
pathetic comprehensive plan that harms renters
oh and it's years late
oh and it killed 4k affordable homes
and he opposed social housing
permits cratered under harrell
inadequate housing levy
pathetic comprehensive plan that harms renters
oh and it's years late
oh and it killed 4k affordable homes
and he opposed social housing
Reposted by Connor Stein
It’s even worse than this tho. If u care about salmon in our watershed, it’s the giant waterfront mansions lining Lake WA/Sammamish, Puget Sound w/ their armored shorelines & giant docks that are absolutely obliterating habitat & nursery grounds for baby salmon. Then those ppl drive everywhere, too😡
When people freak out about how apartments might impact like. A single tree? This is what I always think of. Most trees in the city get cut because of Rich Person Caprice
Next week in Clyde Hill: a hearing on whether a group of property owners can force the removal of multiple trees on 2 other properties because they're "blocking their view of the downtown Seattle skyline and lake views."
They're trying to remove all trees planted before 1953 on 1 of the properties.
They're trying to remove all trees planted before 1953 on 1 of the properties.
October 25, 2025 at 6:27 PM
It’s even worse than this tho. If u care about salmon in our watershed, it’s the giant waterfront mansions lining Lake WA/Sammamish, Puget Sound w/ their armored shorelines & giant docks that are absolutely obliterating habitat & nursery grounds for baby salmon. Then those ppl drive everywhere, too😡
Reposted by Connor Stein
When people freak out about how apartments might impact like. A single tree? This is what I always think of. Most trees in the city get cut because of Rich Person Caprice
Next week in Clyde Hill: a hearing on whether a group of property owners can force the removal of multiple trees on 2 other properties because they're "blocking their view of the downtown Seattle skyline and lake views."
They're trying to remove all trees planted before 1953 on 1 of the properties.
They're trying to remove all trees planted before 1953 on 1 of the properties.
October 25, 2025 at 4:02 PM
When people freak out about how apartments might impact like. A single tree? This is what I always think of. Most trees in the city get cut because of Rich Person Caprice
This is one of the things that sucked about working on apartment projects as an architect. It felt so bad designing terrible little windowless apartments. Not as bad as living in one though (which I also do) cool!!
i've seen what massively expanding FAR with no limitations on floor plate depth, not tying to height, or not having sense of how adjacent lots will get redeveloped in seattle - and it's a mess (and invariably leads to things like 3-bedroom homes with windowless bedrooms on a re-entrant corner)
(Frankly, the anti-FAR urbanists don't always understand the zoning implications of what they're doing either in the exact same way!)
October 24, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This is one of the things that sucked about working on apartment projects as an architect. It felt so bad designing terrible little windowless apartments. Not as bad as living in one though (which I also do) cool!!