The mayors of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington have come to an agreement about the size of a new bridge that will connect the two cities -- but on the condition that a bistate commission be set up to control congestion through tolling.
"The mayors insist that a new bistate commission be established to manage the bridge, as well as the nearby Interstate 205 crossing, in instituting tolls to keep congestion and pollution in check for generations. That would remove some of the local division from a massive $4 billion project that will have huge economic and environmental consequences for the region."
"The deal, whose details are yet to be worked out, represents a compromise for both cities. Portland Mayor Sam Adams has said that eight or 10 lanes could suffice for the crossing . It would also show concessions by Vancouver-area officials to live with tolls, van pools and other measures to ease congestion and encourage mass transit use, potentially on the only two highway bridges that bind the region."
"But the agreement hinges on a bold new step: Creating a new bistate commission to actively manage the river crossings as a system. That would go against the decades-old pattern that endlessly expands highways, with pollution, congestion and growth overtaking them -- and little thought on how to pay for maintenance or expansion."
FULL STORY: Mayors support 'jumbo' bridge
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
The State of E-Scooters in the US
Eight years after shared e-scooters were first introduced in US cities, the industry still teeters on the edge of success, hindered in part by limited infrastructure.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
