Wendell Cox questions the economic impact of the city's much-celebrated land use and transportation policies, which are intended to strengthen the urban core and discourage sprawl.
Cox suggests that stringent growth regulations by Portland Metro, the three county planning body, cause the region to lose jobs and residents to its neighbors. While Multnomah County, the core of the Portland metro region, lost 20,000 jobs between 2001 and 2009, nearby Clark County, which has less stringent land use regulations and lower housing prices, added 13,000.
Cox also argues that the city is over-investing in transit at the expense of roadways, spending $5 billion on new light rail and bus systems over the past 25 years even as telecommuting is on the rise. In 2009, nearly as many residents worked from home as commuted on public transit.
'A higher cost of living driven by policies that have kept prices 40% higher than before the housing bubble (adjusted for household incomes), and increasing traffic congestion make Portland's three county area less competitive and nearby alternatives more attractive,' writes Cox.
FULL STORY: Portland Metro's Competitiveness Problem
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Calculating Vehicle Travel Reduction Benefits
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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‘It’s Been 50 years’: Public Transit Law Passes in Montana
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Top 10 Tech-Ready Cities
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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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions