Portland

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Report: Out-Migration Grows in Seattle and Portland

The findings of a new report from United Van Lines along with Michael Stoll, an economist at University of California Los Angeles, show surprising trends from this summer's prime moving months, especially in the Pacific Northwest.

September 15, 2014 - The Seattle Times

Key to Successful Parks: More Female Visitors

The example of Holladay Park in Portland is examined for lessons in improving public spaces through the help of private sector consultants.

September 10, 2014 - The Oregonian

Citi Bike Rack

The United States' Top Large City for Biking Is...

Portland (top city in 2012)? Minneapolis (top city in 2010)? No, it's the Big Apple! New York City leaped from #7 in 2012 to the top spot this year for cities with populations of 100,000 or greater.

September 8, 2014 - StreetsBlog NYC

Strava Proposal

The Power of Public-Private Partnerships: Mobile Phone Apps and Municipalities

Private, crowdsourced mobile phone applications addressing urban mobility collect troves of data on how cities flow. So how can municipalities tap into these databases to accurately understand the movement of their citizens?

August 25, 2014 - Ma'ayan Dembo

Developers Fail to Meet Affordable Housing Quota in Portland's Pearl District

Despite a contractual obligation, Hoyt Street Properties under-built 258 affordable housing units in Portland's Pearl District. The city has to react.

August 24, 2014 - The Oregonian

Portland Building First Multi-Modal Bridge—No Cars Allowed

To connect the South Waterfront area with the rest of the city, Portland is building a multi-modal bridge accommodating tram lines, streetcars, light rail lines, bicyclists, and pedestrians, but not automobiles.

August 20, 2014 - CityLab

Buffalo Light Rail

Editorial: Streetcar Funding Better Spent Elsewhere

The Economist introduces the concept of the streetcar in America—its history and its recent revival—before laying the arguments in support of, and against, the role of streetcars in urban revival.

August 16, 2014 - The Economist

Austin Voters To Decide on Light Rail and Freeway Bond Measure

The Austin City Council unanimously approved a $1 billion bond measure on August 7, subject to voter approval on Nov. 4 to provide $600 million toward a $1.4 billion, 9.5-mile light rail line and $400 million for freeway improvements.

August 13, 2014 - Austin American-Statesman

High Line park NYC - Manhattan - New York City

How Park Design Helps Keep Communities Healthy

A review of the healthiest cities in the United States establishes that urban parks play a vital role in the activity of a city. What conclusions can be drawn from each city?

July 20, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Study: Portland's Accessory Dwelling Units Reduce Car Impacts

Since Portland began subsidizing accessory dwelling units (ADU) by waiving development fees, construction of ADUs have increased to a pace of more than 100 a year. A new study finds additional benefits in the low impact of ADUs on neighborhoods.

July 17, 2014 - Bike Portland

Parking Sign

Portland Shows How to Create More Downtown Parking (Without Building Any)

Dynamic pricing is not the only route to increasing parking availability. Better management of disabled placards at metered spaces may be an easier and more effective strategy. Implemented on July 1, Portland's policy is showing dramatic results.

July 14, 2014 - AP (via KATU.Com)

Study: Oregon Bikers Abide Red Lights

Move aside, myth of the reckless biker who flouts the law at every possible junction.

July 3, 2014 - Bike Portland

The Inside Scoop on Portland's Street Signal System

A new installment of the BikePortland podcast reveals the technical considerations in the city’s signal system that contribute to bike and pedestrian safety.

June 9, 2014 - BikePortland

Study Evaluates Protected Bike Lanes in the United States

The National Institute for Transportation and Communities released a new study this week called "Lessons from the Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S."

June 6, 2014 - Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium

Portland Streetcar Bike

Portland Considering 'Street Fee' for Residents and Businesses

The Portland City Council moved quickly in proposing and revising a "street fee" to finance repairs on the city's crumbling roads. Now a more realistic calendar seems to be in place for considering the fee on residents and businesses.

May 30, 2014 - The Oregonian

How Fair Were Reports of Portland's Light Rail Shortcomings?

After a recent report questioned the value Portland's light rail investments, a local journalist and a TriMet representative provide countering metrics of success.

May 10, 2014 - The Oregonian

The Fallacy of the Millennial Housing Shortage

A dissenting argument claims that the efforts of "affluent urban pioneers" to increase supply in the most desirable urban areas will do more harm than good.

April 29, 2014 - The Corner Side Yard

Will Portland's Updated Comprehensive Plan Allow More Multi-Family Zoning?

As Portland accepts comments for its Comprehensive Plan update, one writer asks why so much of the city's zoning prohibits multi-family housing—especially as the cost of rent has increased by double-digit percentages in the past year.

April 28, 2014 - BikePortland

Coming this Summer: Airbnb Will Collect Taxes in San Francisco, New York State

The ongoing saga of the tax and regulatory standing of Airbnb, the popular room rental app and poster child for the sharing economy, is evolving in San Francisco, Portland and the state of New York.

April 15, 2014 - SFGate

My First Ride

How Well Does Light Rail Attract New Transit Riders?

The answer to the question in the headline is “not very.” Thirty years into the initial experiment, however, light rail has not been the game changer it was hoped to be.

April 13, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.