Joshua McNichols
Reporter
About
As KUOW's Growth and Development reporter and co-host of KUOW's Booming podcast, Joshua's "growing pains" beat sits at the nexus of housing, transportation, urban planning, government and the economy. His favorite stories also include themes of history, technology, and climate change.
Joshua holds a B.A. in Architecture from the University of Washington. Public Radio is his second career; architecture was his first. He is proud of the many odd jobs he's held in his life, such as salmon fisher, author, bike courier, and bed-and-breakfast cook.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him
Professional Affiliations: The Society of Professional Journalists, Western Washington Chapter
Podcasts
Stories
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Final steps for Washington state's middle housing bill
The middle housing bill passed the Washington State Senate this week. It would allow duplexes and townhomes in neighborhoods now dominated by single-family homes. But where the density goes is still being negotiated.
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Seattle City Council debates details of proposed $1 billion housing levy
The most recent housing levy will expire this year. On Wednesday, the city council started planning for the next one. Most support the mayor's call for a $1 billion levy, but not without tweaking how the money's spent.
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Small apartments from 100 years ago offer townhome alternative
A century ago, Seattle faced an even bigger housing shortage than it does now. Buildings people built in response offer clues as to how we might respond today. But it’ll take some changes from Olympia to make that happen.
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Seattle is losing more apartments than it's building. Small landlords blame overregulation
Data from Seattle’s Rental Registration and Inspection database reveal a trend: For every apartment created in a big, new building, a small landlord takes one off the market.
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Harrell promises downtown fix, but offers few details
Can downtown Seattle be fixed without raising taxes? Business leaders want it. Mayor Harrell has promised to do it. But his plans on what to do and how to pay for those changes remain murky at best.
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Backyard cottages take off in Seattle. But who benefits?
When Seattle made it easier to build backyard cottages in 2019, a lot of people worried that they’d all become Airbnbs. But a survey in a new city report suggests only 11% of them are used in that way.
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Racist covenants excluded many from homeownership. WA lawmakers seek to remedy 'decades of direct harms'
Homebuyers from historically marginalized groups may be getting some help with their down payments. That’s the goal of a bill making its way through the Washington State Legislature.
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Exploring the possibilities of downtown Seattle's uncertain future
Kim Malcolm talks with KUOW's growth and development reporter Joshua McNichols about the possibilities for downtown Seattle, which could mean fewer workers, but many more residents.
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Next steps for Seattle's (passing) social housing initiative
Seattle’s Social Housing initiative is leading by 14 percent and could be certified next week. So what are the next steps?
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What would make you live in downtown Seattle? Residents answer, city listens
One of the big lessons to come out of the pandemic – is that downtowns need people. Not just office workers – but people who live there. But how do you get people to move downtown? That’s a question Seattle officials are grappling with right now. In part 3 of our series “Downtown Reimagined,” KUOW’s Joshua McNichols went looking for downtown residents to find out what’s working, and what’s not.
