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School of Law

News | July 22, 2024

A week of nonstop breaking political news stumps AI chatbots

Reported by Heather Kelly For The Washington Post In the hour after President Biden announced he would withdraw from the 2024 campaign on Sunday, most popular AI chatbots seemed oblivious to the news. Asked directly whether he had dropped out, almost all said no or declined to give an answer. Asked who was running for…


News | September 14, 2020

At center of police defunding debate, King County Equity Now and Decriminalize Seattle reimagine public safety

Thousands of activists and community leaders gathered June 5 in front of the decommissioned Fire Station 6 to discuss the future of Seattle. The 1930s building represented a juncture in the Central District’s past and present: Its art deco façade stood at the corner of a once-thriving Black neighborhood dating back to the 1800s that, largely due…


Course | GEOG 438

Cities of East Asia: Geography and Development

Examines urban development in East Asia from a geographic and comparative perspective focusing on issues in development, and the interaction of geography, history, politics, and economics. Major topics include economic development and urbanization; regions and urban systems; migration; urban social and spatial structures; globalization and governance.

Course | GEOG 439

Gender, Race, and the Geography of Employment

Focuses on the geography of employment for men and women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in American cities. Presents evidence on labor market inequality for different groups and explanations of these differences. Emphasizes the importance of a spatial perspective in understanding employment outcomes for women and minorities.

News | May 17, 2016

Get Out of Jail Now, Now Pay Up: Your Fines are Waiting

When you’re convicted of a crime in America, it’s not just prison time you may face—there are fines, fees, and other cash penalties, too. And when you get out, they’ll be waiting. Plus interest. The plight of “Kathie” symbolizes everything that’s wrong with this system, one that heaps a debt burden onto ex-convicts who don’t…


Scholar

Gregory Hicks

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News | February 3, 2023

Group’s lawsuit seeks to void Washington transportation law

A conservative legal advocacy organization is suing to halt the nearly $17 billion transportation funding bill passed by the Washington Legislature and signed by Gov. Jay Inslee last year. Senate Bill 5974, known as Move Ahead Washington, passed last session despite opposition from most Republicans. The legislation pays for finishing massive highway projects and pays…


News | March 8, 2017

Honoring Women Collaborators at Urban@UW

In honor of International Women’s Day, we are highlighting just some of UW’s brilliant female professors, scholars, and and change-makers with whom Urban@UW is proud to collaborate. Click on their names to explore their work.   Leadership: Thaisa Way, Executive Director, Urban@UW; Department of Landscape Architecture Executive Committee: Margaret O’Mara, Department of History Susan P….


Course | GEOG 435

Industrialization and Urbanization in China

Examines the impacts of industrialization strategies adopted by the Peoples Republic of China on urbanization and rural-urban relations. Topics include: economic development strategies, industrial geography, rural industrialization, urban development patterns, migration, and urbanization policies.

Scholar

Joseph R Zunt

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News | August 1, 2017

Justice Dept. rules intensify crackdown on sanctuary cities

The Justice Department escalated its promised crackdown on so called sanctuary cities in late July, saying it will no longer award coveted grant money to cities unless they give federal immigration authorities access to jails and provide advance notice when someone in the country illegally is about to be released. Under old rules, cities seeking…


Scholar

Kimberly Ambrose

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Course | LAW 442

Land Law and the Urban Environment

Examination of the major legal tools available to shape the urban environment by controlling the use of land. Considers zoning, subdivision controls, urban renewal, private land-use restrictions, and the rules of nuisance law.

Scholar

Lisa Kelly

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Course | LAW A 563

Local Government Law

This course provides a basic introduction to local government law, using Washington State municipal law as the model. The course will cover the sources of local governmental authority, police and proprietary powers, formation and structure of municipal corporations, intergovernmental conflicts and intergovernmental contracts, taxation and finance, public works, eminent domain, and urban renewal law.

News | July 3, 2016

Looking ahead to July, Recapping June

Looking forward into July – Unlikely Allies is coming to Seattle right after July 4th weekend. Impact Hub Seattle is hosting the Unlikely Allies: Future of Cities Festival in partnership with the Impact Hub Company – the organization that coordinates the network’s 89 locations worldwide. More than 200 delegates from 70 cities will be joining…


News | November 16, 2016

NYC, Chicago mayors join Seattle’s Ed Murray is support of “sanctuary cities” for immigrants

SEATTLE — Democratic mayors of major U.S. cities that have long had cool relationships with federal immigration officials say they’ll do all they can to protect residents from deportation, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s vows to withhold potentially millions of dollars in taxpayer money if they don’t cooperate. New York’s Bill de Blasio, Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel…


Course | GEOG 378 / LSJ 378

Policing the City

Investigates how and why formal and informal order is established in urban areas, how this order produces advantages and disadvantages, and possibilities of alternative visions of order. Topics include formal means of control (zoning, laws, policing, building codes) and informal means of control (gossip, ostracism, peer pressure, local politics).

News | October 17, 2019

Pop-up galleries and data: Visualizing the lives of homeless people and their animals

Sparked by a grant from the UW Population Health Initiative, the UW’s Center for One Health Research created a series of pop-up galleries featuring autobiographical photographs made by people experiencing homelessness with their animal companions. The first gallery was Oct. 4 in UW’s Red Square. Other pop-up gallery events took place in Occidental Square in Seattle’s Pioneer Square district; in Cal…


Course | LAW E 525

Poverty Law

Overview of legal issues affecting poor people, including relevant background readings on poverty and access to justice, and selection problems such as housing and homelessness, education, employment issues of low-wage workers, income support and welfare reform, consumer law, family law, and child care.

News | June 2, 2016

Q&A: CLPP’s Sam Méndez on Washington’s pot industry and how marijuana is becoming like wine

The Cannabis Law and Policy Project, based in the University of Washington School of Law, was formed by professor Sean O’Connor in fall 2014 to be a center for researching regulatory issues around the state’s new legal cannabis industry. The group recently published its first report for the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB),…


Scholar

Ryan Calo

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News | July 16, 2020

Seattle groups present proposal to defund police department, invest in community

On July 8, Seattle and King County groups proposed several ways to allocate money from defunding the Seattle Police Department, all of which involve reinvesting in community-based programs. The plan comes as thousands of people have been protesting for weeks, marching in the streets in Seattle and across the country fighting against police brutality and systemic…


News | February 6, 2018

The Doorway project’s second pop-up cafe

Save The Date: The Doorway Project’s second pop-up cafe will be open on Sunday February 25, from 2:00pm-4:00pm at the University Heights Center, 5031 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105. Everyone is welcome to attend this free, family-friendly event to listen to live music, enjoy warm beverages and food. No one will be turned away…


Scholar

Thomas R Andrews

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News | July 26, 2024

With $50M infusion, UW to launch security center to fight research theft

Reported by Emerson Drewes for the Seattle Times The University of Washington will receive a $50 million investment over five years from the United States National Science Foundation to establish a national center for research security. Universities, including those in Washington, have been victims of cyberattacks and hacks in attempts to access, download, alter or…