Portland:Steps to Success

Presented by:Brooks Brown

Will Kresic

David Mellisy

Adam Polinski

Thomas Wamser

Evaluation Metrics● What Makes Transit Useful

● Haughton’s Equity Principles

● Nested Model of Sustainability

The Shift to Sustainability

The Shift to Sustainability

Success in Transportation

and Land Use

Max Light RailMax Light Rail

1970

Grid of Frequent

Today

Portland has a 200’ x 200’ downtown grid

Portland

New York City

Drawbacks of a small grid

● 42% of is occupied by the street network

● Simply put, nearly half of the land is used up accessing

the other half

● Highest length of road infrastructure of any mode

● Many stop lights and crosswalks for pedestrians

The “Light Rail to Nowhere”

http://spectator.org/articles/38027/portland-going-nowhere

Budget Issues● Unsustainable Spending

● TriMet: Total Projected Shortfall

for Fiscal Year 2013: up to $17

million

● For $1 in wages, $1.52 in

benefits

● The Portland Bureau of

Transportation faces a $16

million gap

TriMet

Shortcomings?● Drive alone to work stagnant

● Bus ridership declined

● 7.4 percent of work trips on public

transport

● Portland 9th- 17th most congested city

● Average driver wasted $937 and 44 hours

in traffic 2011

Improvements

Urban Revitalization

South Waterfront District

● Former

Industrial Hub

for Portland’s

logging industry

● Between

Willamette River

and I-5

● Highly polluted

in 20th century

South Waterfront District● Dense

● Mixed use

● Accessible

transit

South Waterfront District

● Dense

● Mixed use

● Accessible

transit

● Home to

OHSU

facilities &

tram

Pearl

District

Pearl District

● Former

industrial area

● Reclassified

for mixed use

in 1980s

Pearl District

● Former

industrial area

● Reclassified

for mixed use

in 1980s

Pearl District

● Former

industrial area

● Reclassified

for mixed use

in 1980s

● Removal of

bridge viaduct

opened for

development

Pearl District

● Former

industrial area

● Reclassified

for mixed use

in 1980s

● Removal of

bridge viaduct

opened for

development

Pearl District

● Former

industrial area

● Reclassified

for mixed use

in 1980s

● Removal of

bridge viaduct

opened for

development

Trouble in the Suburbs?

Gateway

District,

East Portland

Trouble in the Suburbs?

Rockwood,

Gresham/

Portland border

Biking Differently

Bike Features

➢ Neighborhood greenways and multi-use paths

➢ Extensive bike lanes and bike boxes

➢ Largest bike valet in the country

Common US Bike Lane

Conditions

Westport Road in Louisville, KY

The Numbers

Categories including:● Percent of cycling commuters

(6.1%)

● Cycling fatalities per 10k commuters

(1.1)

● Federal transportation funds

allocated to pedestrian/cycling

projects per capita

(8.35)

● Miles of bicycle lanes, paths, and

routes per square mile

(3)

Nerdwallet Online Blog

Community events:

● Worst day of the year ride

● Tweed ride

● Sunday parkways

● World naked bike ride

Bike Culture

Citizens actively involved via:

● Blog posts

● Podcasts

● Forums

● Q&A’s

A Cycling Success

Portland: The Verdict

Transit

● Streetcar

● Transit mall

● Dedication to

improvement

Portland: The Verdict

Politics

● Metro

- Urban Growth

Boundary

- Region 2040

Portland: The Verdict

Biking

● Best large bike

city in the

country

● Extensive bike

infrastructure

Portland: The Verdict

Land Use

● Urban

Revitalization

● TOD

● Tight Grid

● Walkable,

Livable

Portland: The Verdict

“Has there ever been a case in American history of a city as relatively

small as Portland having the same sort of pervasive impact on the policy

and the built environment of America? It is truly remarkable, shocking

even, and something I dare to suggest will likely never happen again.”

-Urban affairs analyst Aaron Renn in The Oregonian in 2010