Oregon

Northwest Portland Hostel

The Charms of 'Illegal Neighborhoods'

A longtime resident of an old, eclectic neighborhood reflects on what makes the area so desirable and why new places like it are effectively outlawed today.

October 2, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

Golf Course Plans for 280 Acres of State Park Land Abandoned in Oregon

A controversial and unprecedented deal that would have privatized 280 acres of state-owned Bandon State Natural Area have fizzled out thanks to new requirements from the Bureau of Land Management.

October 1, 2015 - The Oregonian

Moving Day for Portland's 'Right to Dream Too' Homeless Camp Delayed

Two years of work by the city to move the location of the Right 2 Dream Too homeless encampment, including the purchase of land for a new location, has stalled in the final hour.

September 29, 2015 - The Oregonian

California's Oil Battles Move from Legislature to Air Resources Board

Big Oil may have defeated Gov. Jerry Brown's oil reduction goal in the legislature this month, but there are other avenues for the green governor to pursue his climate change agenda. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard was renewed by CARB on Sept. 25.

September 27, 2015 - The Sacramento Bee - Capitol Alert

Massachusetts Could Be Next State to Adopt a Road Usage Charge

In the wake of voter rejection of automatic indexing of the state gas tax, Massachusetts legislators may do away with the tax altogether. They are considering a trial of the Oregon model of road usage charge.

September 23, 2015 - Eagle-Tribune

Bikeshare Finally Coming to the City that Made Bikes Famous—Portland

Still without a corporate sponsor, Portland is moving ahead with a bikeshare proposal that will add 600 shared bikes to the city's streets.

September 11, 2015 - The Oregonian

Here Comes Portland's New Orange Line

TriMet will get a new addition to its rail system later this month, when it opens the new Orange Line.

September 4, 2015 - The Oregonian

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Land Sparing Protects Urban Ecosystems Better Than Land Sharing

A study of two cities at opposite ends of the urban spectrum demonstrate how density matters for a number of ecological services.

September 4, 2015 - Pacific Standard

Legal Marijuana Still a Challenge for Road Safety

The state of Washington is finding that more and more fatal car crashes involve drivers under the influence of THC. But legal limbo, lack of research, and spotty detection makes the question of what to do very hard to answer.

August 29, 2015 - Crosscut

C-Tran Vine

First Bus Rapid Transit Comes to Portland Metro Region

But not to Portland, nor even in Oregon for that matter. The Vine will service downtown Vancouver, Washington and be operated by Vancouver's public transit agency, C-TRAN. It broke ground in downtown Vancouver on Monday.

August 26, 2015 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Gray Wolves Return to the Golden State—After 91 Years

Two adults and five pups have been photographed in Northern California by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are protected by the federal and state Endangered Species Act, which is credited for their return.

August 24, 2015 - San Mateo County Times

Terror On-Board European High-Speed Train

Massacre on a Paris-bound train was averted in France on Friday due to the courageous actions of three Americans, one in the Air Force another in the Oregon National Guard, who rushed and subdued a Moroccan man armed with an AK-47 and a handgun.

August 23, 2015 - The New York Times

Traffic Deaths Soar—Is Cheap Gas a Culprit?

An August 17 press release from the National Safety Council indicates the United States is on track to exceed 40,000 road deaths this year, the highest since 2007. A January NPR report links the spike to decreased gas prices.

August 19, 2015 - CNNMoney

Tilikum Crossing

Portland's Tilikum Crossing—Open to All but Cars—Attracts a Throng on Preview Day

The first bridge in the country to allow all forms of traffic except for cars opened for a public preview over the weekend. Tens of thousands of Portlanders showed up to enjoy the bridge.

August 11, 2015 - Bike Portland

Oregonians Slow to Adopt the New OReGO Road Usage Charge

All eyes are on Oregon as it rolls out its road usage charge program, known as OReGO. So far Oregonians have been slow on the uptake.

August 11, 2015 - Better Roads

Biofuels Make Headways into Jet Fuel Market

Jets no longer run solely on fuel derived from petroleum, thanks in part to Colorado-based Red Rock Biofuels. They signed contracts with FedEx and Southwest Airlines for "renewable jet fuel" that is derived from wood-based biomass.

July 22, 2015 - The Denver Post - Business

Portland to Buy Land for Homeless Camp

The city of Portland has allocated funding for the purchase of land reported to be under consideration as the new location of a large homeless camp called Right 2 Dream Too.

July 19, 2015 - The Oregonian

The Scary, Likely Event of the 'Really Big One' in the Pacific Northwest

Forget Hollywood's proclivity for destroying Los Angeles and San Francisco in movies like San Andreas—the greatest seismic threat in North America is in the Pacific Northwest.

July 16, 2015 - The New Yorker

Students Design and Build Downtown Portland's First Parklet

The newest addition to the city of Portland's Street Seats program is the result of a student team of designers and builders from Portland State University.

July 8, 2015 - Portland State University

Need Convincing that Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Fees Make Sense?

Eric Jaffe's July 1 article in CityLab has 18 reasons, and not one in opposition. The date is significant as it marks the official kickoff of the Oregon Road Usage Charge program.

July 6, 2015 - CityLab

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.

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.