Seattle sees nation’s biggest drop in solo car commuters as transit and walking surge, why experts say the Pacific Northwest is a ‘perfect laboratory’ for autonomous technology, and more in this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

Seattle Sees Nation’s Biggest Drop in Solo Car Commuters as Transit, Walking Surge

Seattle Times | Gene Balk | November 21

“In 2018, just 44% of the 444,000 Seattle residents who were employed drove alone to work on a typical day, according to the latest census data. That’s a huge decrease since 2010, when a solid majority (53%) of Seattle’s workers were solo car commuters. Seattle’s 9 percentage-point drop is easily the largest decline among the 100 most-populous U.S. cities since the start of the decade. And we now have the sixth-lowest percentage of drive-alone commuters among those 100 cities.”

Rising Pacific Northwest Startups Show that Financial Technology is About More than Payments

GeekWire | James Thorne | November 20

“Amid hopes that the Seattle area could grow into a financial technology hub, notable startups in the region are showing that finance is more than just loans and payments — it’s about community, too. Three startups — Remitly, Snap! Raise, and Subsplash — have become fixtures on the GeekWire 200, our ranking of top startups in the Pacific Northwest. But in their approach to financial services, they’re betting that the way to compete with the big banking and mobile payment players is to hone in on users’ needs, both financial and otherwise.”

How the Seattle Area became a Hotspot for Satellite Builders – and What Comes Next

GeekWire | Alan Boyle | November 19

“Seattle may not be the best place to put a launch pad, but the region is turning into one of the most prolific satellite production centers in the United States. “How many of you know that Washington state is actually one of the world’s leading satellite manufacturers?” Roger Myers, a longtime aerospace executive who is currently president-elect of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, asked during a session of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region’s Economic Leadership Forum on Monday.”

Why Experts Say the Pacific Northwest is a ‘Perfect Laboratory’ for Autonomous Technology

GeekWire | Gregory Scruggs | November 19

“The hype cycle for autonomous vehicles may have slowed down after the March 2018 fatal accident involving a self-driving Uber car, but for AV booster Bruce Agnew, the Pacific Northwest offers a wide range of applications for the technology that go far beyond passengers traveling big-city streets. As director of ACES — a Madrona Venture Group and INRIX-backed network promoting autonomous, connected, electric, and shared vehicles — Agnew sees the diverse geography and economic opportunities of the region as ripe for those four trends to converge in transportation. While much of the attention on autonomous vehicles thus far has focused on their urban applications, as the everyday car driver imagines what it might be like to relinquish the wheel, that’s not where the technology is heading first, experts say.”