11 episodes

Booming is an economy podcast from a city that (almost) never stops growing. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg explore hidden connections between technology, cities, work and our day-to-day experiences. We’ll ask the important question: how can more of us benefit from the booms and weather the busts?

Booming KUOW News and Information

    • News
    • 5.0 • 24 Ratings

Booming is an economy podcast from a city that (almost) never stops growing. The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg explore hidden connections between technology, cities, work and our day-to-day experiences. We’ll ask the important question: how can more of us benefit from the booms and weather the busts?

    Why free money makes you more likely to get a job

    Why free money makes you more likely to get a job

    Guaranteed basic income is an anti-poverty policy gaining traction in Washington state. Tacoma just started its second basic income pilot, on the heels of a separate King County pilot. We sat down with Natalie Foster, the architect of more than 130 basic income pilots across the country to understand a surprising finding from King County’s basic income experiment, and what it means for the economy more broadly.
    Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 31 min
    The solution to our struggling power grid could be hiding in your closet

    The solution to our struggling power grid could be hiding in your closet

    Cities around the country are facing down a catch-22. In just a few short years, they need to somehow get off of fossil fuels while meeting surging electricity demand. The crisis is especially acute in the Seattle area, where demand for power is expected to increase by up to 50% and new energy-hungry datacenters are cropping up all the time.

    On this episode of Booming, we uncover a surprising solution that's hiding in plain sight. Will it be enough to keep the lights on?

    A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

    Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Whitney Henry-Lester. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.
    Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 32 min
    What's sending first gen electric cars to an early grave

    What's sending first gen electric cars to an early grave

    This week on Booming, can electric vehicles really save us from our fossil fuel addiction? Economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg went searching for a "Tesla Graveyard." What she found reveals how complicated our transition to a greener transportation future will be.

    Plus, our growth reporter Joshua McNichols takes us to opening day of the light rail that could transform one of the most car-centric parts of our region, and our hosts try to guess the wacky animal names carmakers are giving their new EVs.

    A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

    Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.
    Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 23 min
    The campground crunch

    The campground crunch

    We know Washington's cities are booming, attracting thousands of newcomers each year. But did you know demand for Pacific Northwest campgrounds and trails is growing even faster?This week on Booming: why landing a good spot outdoors can feel harder than scoring Taylor Swift tickets, and what you can do to get around the campground crunch.Plus, we'll put our new campsite hunting tools to the test in a race to reserve a spot on one of the hottest weekends of the summer -- and take you inside Seattle's 'ghost mall.'

    A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you."Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.
    Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 34 min
    Boeing at the glass cliff

    Boeing at the glass cliff

    Boeing's hiring of its new CEO of Commercial Airplanes is the latest in a series of women who finally break through the glass ceiling at male-dominated companies, but only when there's a crisis to solve. Researchers call this the glass cliff. It can be a once-in-a-career opportunity for women, but it can also be a huge professional liability.This week on Booming, we ask an expert why the glass cliff exists, and what the future looks like for the first woman to lead Boeing's Seattle-based jet manufacturing department.Plus, the Department of Justice goes after landlords for an alleged price fixing scheme that uses AI to artificially inflate rates. And the Booming team tries to guess which crises forced companies to finally let women into the boys club.A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you."Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.
    Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 26 min
    Seattle's 15-minute makeover

    Seattle's 15-minute makeover

    Who killed the 15-minute city? And what will it take to get it back?

    Seattle leaders have a plan to turn NIMBYs into YIMBYs. They're betting they can get residents to say "yes in my back yard" to growth if Seattle becomes a 15-minute city. That means changing laws so that everything you need is a 15-minute walk, bike, or bus ride from your home. This week on Booming, we travel to Georgetown, which could become a 15-minute neighborhood under Seattle's new Comprehensive Plan.

    Plus, local content creators are sounding off on federal lawmakers' plan to ban TikTok if it doesn't cut ties with its Chinese parent company. And producer Lucy Soucek makes her Booming debut to share what listeners say is missing from their ideal 15-minute neighborhoods.

    A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

    "Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.
    Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 32 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
24 Ratings

24 Ratings

hachi's owner ,

A local asset

Knowledgeable reporters talking through some of the most complex and most pressing issues facing the Seattle region and making it accessible.

Sockeye12 ,

Great local content!

Love it.

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