With the traditional metrics of retail economics and geography being undermined by the Internet, businesses are searching for new ways to reach potential customers. Astute business owners in Portland are recognizing the value in good bike exposure.
In an influential study published last year, New York City documented how its transit improvements gave a boost to surrounding businesses. As Michael Andersen explains, smart retailers in Portland got the message long before.
"Bikes, it turns out, seem to be a perfect way to get people to the few retail categories that are thriving in the age of mail-order everything: bars, restaurants and personal services. And in Portland, where an early investment in basic bikeways has made bikes a popular way to run errands, retailers are responding by snapping up strorefronts with good bike exposure" writes Andersen.
"'All the bike traffic is part of the reason I chose the place, and I am definitely paying a premium for this spot,' said Shana Lane-Block, whose 30-seat farm-to-table cafe and bakery Compote opened in 2011 on Portland's Clinton Street bike boulevard. 'In the nice weather, it is astonishing to me how many bicycles go by.'"
Commenting on a widely circulated, and apparently misreported, study [pdf] conducted for the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, Andersen adds that, "[i]t's not just that a potential customer on a bike is just as valuable as the same potential customer in a car. It's that good bike access is disproportionately good for the core customers of bars and restaurants."
"And in a real estate market where sellers of electronics, books and clothing are withering, the thriving service sector is becoming especially important."
FULL STORY: Portland retailers swoop into storefronts along bikeways
Portland and Multnomah County Push for Lower Speed Limits on Bridges
The Portland Bureau of Transportation and Multnomah County agree on a 30 mph speed limit on five downtown bridges, but the state's department of transportation denied the change on two key spans.
Making Protected Bike Lanes the Design Standard
An institutional mandate isn't enough to make a design vision a reality. Portland is working on bringing its standards and guidelines in line with its ambition for protected bike lanes.
Portland Bike Lanes and the Danger of Half-Measures
Willamette's new bike lanes make for an important link in Portland's bike infrastructure, but building unprotected bike lanes on a high-speed street carries risk.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service