According to a first-of-its-kind count of skateboarders in Portland (long known as a mecca for the sport), thousands of skateboarders in Portland are on the streets everyday, with few accommodations made to the popular mode of transportation.
"22 years after Portland’s first regular one-day bike counts, Bureau of Transportation volunteers and staffers have started tracking skateboards, too," reports Michael Andersen.
The count resulted from the advocacy of the NW Skate Coalition, and it follows a rise in skateboard transportation made possible "in part by rapid advances in skateboard technology."
"So what do the counts show? Unsurprisingly, the most skateboards were seen downtown, but there were also pockets of popularity in outer east, southeast and north Portland. Of all the locations observed for bike counts, more than half saw at least one person on a skateboard, too."
Read the full story: Portland just completed what may be the world’s first citywide skateboard count
In two U.S. cities, new technology is rewarding slower driving with a quicker commute
Albuquerque, New Mexico and Portland, Oregon have introduced traffic lights that are red by default, and turn green faster if drivers approach while going at or below the speed limit.
Portland unveils Maine’s first affordable housing complex for LGBTQ+ seniors
The building earmarks 11 units for people with disabilities or living with HIV/AIDS.
TriMet will eliminate 'Hand-to-Hand' paratransit service for half of its users
Roughly 300 Portland-area paratransit riders will lose access to a program that lets drivers escort them into their destination.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
If Corpus Christi can’t revive desalination plant project, it may owe Texas $235 million
Earlier this month, city officials declined to pursue developing the plant for the second time in a year.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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