Oregon

Is Portland the Next San Francisco?
Now that tech companies have "discovered" Portland, Oregon, longtime residents question whether the progressive city has done enough to protect them from displacement. Sound familiar?

U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer Writes in Favor of Self-Driving Cars
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a famous advocate for alternative transportation, has thrown his support behind the epoch-changing potential of self-driving cars.

New Bus Service to Alleviate Congestion Between Portland and Multnomah Falls
Even natural attractions outside of urban areas have parking shortages and congestion problems.

Portland's Plan to Move its Open Air Reservoirs Underground
Though the plan to move water storage capacity for the Washington Park reservoirs underground is getting more expensive, the project must be completed to comply with federal regulations.

Reflecting on Regional Planning—50 Years Later
The planning world celebrated Jane Jacobs's 100th birthday earlier this month, and has already begun commemorating the centennial of New York's first zoning code. But did you know regional planning rose to prominence 50 years ago?

Has Portland Lost its Way?
Oregon's poster child for livable planning is embroiled in new controversies over destructive growth, skyrocketing prices, and back-room cronyism.

Portland Digs Into Data on Seismic Vulnerabilities
With an earthquake due to shake up the Pacific Northwest in the not so distant future, Portland has provided an online map to identify potentially vulnerable buildings in danger of suffering major damage when the big one hits.

Portland Finds a Cheap Way to Protect Bike Lanes
It's the little things that count—especially when it comes to building safety infrastructure onto streets so that they better serve all modes of transportation.
8 Ways Exclusionary Zoning Hurts Cities
The Sightline Institute tackles what may be "our most acute urban public policy challenge."

Parking Benefit Districts Around the U.S.
As Pittsburgh moves forward on a parking management program to fund neighborhood improvements, take a look at how other cities have adapted this Shoup-inspired redevelopment strategy.

PBS Takes on Urban Planning, Good and Bad, with '10 Towns' Special
Beginning with the first U.S. planned urban development, St. Augustine, Fla., and ending with one of Portland's newest neighborhoods, the Pearl District, host Geoffrey Baer takes us through ten developments that left their mark, for better or worse.

Oregon Governor Kicks Off State Gas Tax Campaign in Eugene's Bus Rapid Transit
A transportation funding proposal including a gas tax will be prepared for the 2017 legislative session. The media event in the EmX bus highlighted the need to have continuous, dedicated lanes for the Eugene-Springfield bus rapid transit system.
Business Groups Sue Portland Over Homeless 'Safe Sleep Policy'
The Safe Sleep Policy, enacted by the mayor in February without City Council approval, allows homeless people to sleep in tents in select public areas and on sidewalks. Now a coalition of business groups says the policy was an overreach of power.

Looking for Housing Solutions? Look to the Past
The development of Portland during the early decades of the 1900s reveals ideas for how to lessen the pressure on housing prices in the 2010s.
Klamath River Dam Removal Moves Ahead Without Congressional Approval
A lack of Congressional approval almost killed a controversial dam removal project on the Klamath River in Oregon and California. The states and the Interior Department have found a way to proceed.

Parking Requirements and Housing Prices: More Questions Than Answers in Portland
The city of Portland is considering an expansion of parking requirements in Northwest Portland, much to the chagrin of advocates who predict the new requirements will make housing more expensive.

When 'Bus Rapid Transit' Slows Buses, Portland Goes Back to the Drawing Board
Michael Andersen reports on the evolving Powell-Division Transit and Development Project, recently revealed to fall short of its intended goal to speed up bus service in the planning area.
Technology Companies Selected for California Road Charge Pilot
California's Road Charge Pilot Program is set to start this July. Applications for the 5,000 volunteers are being collected. Three companies hope to entice participants to select their programs by offering them 'high-tech perks.'
Denied: Proposed LNG Export and Gas Pipeline in Oregon Rejected by FERC
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied a contentious $7.5 billion Liquefied Natural Gas export facility, pipeline, and power plant in Coos Bay, Ore., which had received environmental clearance.
How Portland Will Pick Bikeshare Station Locations
Details are emerging about Biketown—the new bikeshare system coming to Portland. Portland is making use of online engagement and interactive mapping to inform station location choices.
Pagination
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