Skip to main content

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

  • The next earthquake is coming. Is old Seattle worth saving?

    The Nisqually earthquake did at least $2 billion worth of damage across the Puget Sound region. It hit Seattle’s historic brick and stone buildings hard, and the city has learned a lot of expensive lessons about what would make them safer. 
  • caption: The Cadillac Hotel in Seattle suffered severe damage in the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake.

    An earthquake could break Seattle into several 'islands'

    Given its geography, Seattle faces some unique challenges were it to face something similar to the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck early Wednesday off Russia's coast. Such an event could break Seattle into several islands — not islands surrounded by water, but islands nonetheless.

  • Can light rail make Bellevue hip?

    Bellevue’s older sibling, Seattle, has been in the limelight for a long time. Can light rail make it Bellevue’s time to shine?

  • Is AI the new electricity?

    Microsoft's Brad Smith says the AI revolution could be bigger than the Internet, bigger than mobile, and that the best comparison is the advent of electricity.  So, what does it mean for all of us?

  • Could tariffs bring back the lumberjack?

    President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase U.S. logging to bring back lumber jobs. Could Trump's strategy revive the timber industry in the Northwest? We went to a sawmill in the foothills of Mt. Rainier to find out. 

  • Layoffs, lost faith, and 'cruel optimism' in tech

    Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs leaves even more tech workers in Washington without a job – and with a new worldview. What does it mean for an industry that was once seen as the last bastion of the American Dream? 

  • Seattle's to do list isn't penciling out

    The Trump administration has used executive orders to cut funding for cities that don’t cooperate with its immigration enforcement agenda. So how does Seattle spend its federal money? And if that money goes away, what can we do to replace it?