Oregon
A DOT that Wants You to Drive Less
State DOTs generally have not been viewed as the most progressive forces in transportation, often perceived primarily as road builders. So a recent "challenge" to drive less, if only for 12 days, came as a surprise. But hey, it's Oregon!
Portland Pilots Project to Raise Pedestrian Awareness
With smartphone use eclipsing 60% of mobile subscribers, "distracted walking" is a growing problem in communities across the United States. Portland is testing out several technologies to prevent pedestrians from walking in front of buses.
At West Coast Climate Pact Signing, Brown Justifies His Support for Fracking
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown has made climate protection a centerpiece of his policy agenda, yet he has also embraced the controversial technology of fracking to tap his state's huge shale oil reserves by signing SB 4. He explains his position here.
Want a Happier Healthier City? Bikes are a Bargain
Not only are car-oriented environments ugly, they're costly from an environmental, health, and public investment standpoint. Elly Blue finds that for comparative pennies, bike-friendly cities get happier, healthier, and less broke residents.
The Most Scenic Commute in the U.S.
Take a ride with NPR's Jane Greenhalgh on one of "the most scenic rides in America", according to host, Steve Inskeep. Patients, staff, and visitors to Ore. Health and Science University enjoy the free, aerial tram ride to the top of a Portland hill.
Answers on the Nation's First VMT Fee Law
With Oregon set to implement their vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fee program, Streetsblog's Tanya Snyder provides answers to ten questions, including the privacy challenge, that she posed to ODOT’s Jim Whitty, architect of the program.
Urban-Rural Rift in Colorado Results in Secession Vote
Come November, 11 of Colorado's 64 counties, mostly in northeast, will vote to form a new state. Jack Healy explores what's behind the 51st State Initiative, what set it off, as well as other secession movements, mostly by rural areas in the U.S.
Will Portland Lose its Status as America's Bike Commuting Champion?
While bike commuting is gaining nationwide, it's actually dropping in Portland which has held the enviable title of tops in bike commuting for large cities since 2005. Minneapolis and Seattle, #2 and #3 respectively, are gaining, warns BikePortland.
Fed. Appeals Court Upholds CA's Low Carbon Fuel Standard
The Calif. Air Resources Board received uplifting news from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week when they rejected the charge that the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, designed to reduce carbon intensity in fuel, impeded interstate commerce.
Welcome to the Age of "Driving Light"
As a nation, we are driving less, but we are increasingly stuck in traffic. What explains this paradox? Using Portland as an example, where driving peaked in 2004, Joseph Rose attempts to explain with lots of help from transportation experts.
Colorado Floats Sales Tax for Transportation
A transportation study group is rolling out a proposal to place a .7%, 10-year general sales tax on the 2014 ballot with two-thirds of the revenue going for roads and one-third for transit. The state's 22-cent gas tax hasn't been raised since 1991.
Buy Mass Transit Tickets With a Smartphone In Portland
Portland launches first U.S. mobile ticketing apps to enable mass transit riders to buy tickets with their iPhone and Android smartphones.
Editorial: Obama Should Assist States in Implementing VMT Fees
In this opinion piece on how to pay for roads, Noel Popwell gives 5 reasons for switching from gas tax to vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fee revenue collection - even if the Highway Trust Fund wasn't facing insolvency next year. Obama is opposed to it.
7 Ways Portland Is Better Than Your City
On a recent trip to Portland, land use attorney Bill Adams couldn't help but make comparisons to redevelopment efforts elsewhere. He found 7 tangible areas in which Portland shines through its copious clouds.
Legislating the Waste of Land
Surveys of parking use in multifamily buildings across Cascadia have quantified the extent to which parking requirements have 'force fed' more spaces into projects than developers would provide based on demand. Alan Durning examines the implications.
New House Members Get Transportation Insolvency 101 Lesson
With the impending bankruptcy of the Highway Trust Fund in October, 2014, a House Transportation & Infrastructure subcommittee invited two transportation experts - one from CBO the other from DOT, to lay out the stark facts - but did it do any good?
Should Electric Cars Get Free Parking?
Ideally, the best way to encourage sales of non-polluting electric vehicles would be to price carbon emissions. But if that isn't possible, why not reward EV owners with perks such as free parking; or would that be a distortionary incentive?
Cities Take the Lead to Revive Scuttled Columbia River Bridge Project
Efforts by local leaders to revive a $3.4 billion plan to replace the bridge linking Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Washington is just the latest example of a trend in metropolitan innovation in the face of federal and state gridlock.
Nation's First VMT Fee Bill Passed By Oregon Legislature
If Gov. John Kitzhaber signs SB 810, as expected, Oregon will create a voluntary program for up to 5,000 motorists who will pay 1.5-cents for every mile they drive instead of the 30-cent state fuel excise tax.
How Did Portland Become North America's Bicycling Capital?
In retrospect, it may seem like Portland’s biking boom was inevitable. But not too long ago the city was eclipsed by other Pac NW cities for share of bicycle commuters. What happened between 2002-2008 to kick-start the city’s bike craze?
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
