Oregon

Hummer and Prius

How Much More Damage to Roads is Caused by a Hummer Than a Prius?

A Hummer weighs 2.6 times more than a Prius C, so it must contribute that much more to road wear, right? Actually, that's wrong, not even close. To understand the main cause of road wear, one must look at heavy, not light trucks.

June 5, 2015 - OReGO Communications

Does Portland's Urban Growth Need a Course Correction?

To curb suburban "sprawl on steroids" and foster higher density infill in Portland, a shift in planning strategy is needed, according to Rick Potestio, the principal of Potestio Studio, an architecture and design firm based in the city.

June 1, 2015 - UrbDeZine

How 'Affordance Theory' Informs Great Streets and Public Places

The affordance theory, a combination of environment psychology and art, can be tapped to help make the design of urban neighborhoods more appealing to a community, writes Phil Myrick, MIG’s head of placemaking and performance design.

May 29, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Oregon Moves Forward With 'Unprecedented' Plans for Coastal Golf Course

Inside the deal that could open a huge swatch of highly protected Oregon coastal land to a developer with plans for a golf course.

May 25, 2015 - The Oregonian

Portland Streetcar Considers Fare Hike, Expanded Service

Long one of the rosiest of transit services in the country, thanks to low fares and its status as progenitor of a streetcar renaissance of sorts, changes are coming to the Portland Streetcar.

May 22, 2015 - Progressive Railroading

Wanted: An Architectural Icon to Capture the Essence of Portland

On op-ed in the Oregonian makes the case for Portland to design and build a unique architectural icon that differentiates the city from its rivals in the Pacific Northwest.

May 20, 2015 - The Oregonian

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

75 Cities Ranked by ParkScore 2015

The Trust for Public Land released its 2015 ParkScore today, ranking the 75 largest U.S. cities on the metrics of acreage, facilities and investment, and access.

May 20, 2015 - Trust for Public Land

Op-Ed: Charge Drivers by the Gallon, Not by the Mile

Ben Adler of Grist makes a convincing case of why we should stick with gas taxes and not switch to a road usage charge, as Oregon will do July 1 in a limited program. Tax what you burn, not by how much you drive, he argues, to get the best results.

May 18, 2015 - Grist

Montreal Debates Tolls or Mileage Charges to Finance Bridge Construction

A powerful realty group fears tolls will 'marginalize' downtown Montreal, so they propose a regional kilometer-traveled-fee to finance the new Champlain Bridge.

May 18, 2015 - La Presse

Mount Hood Clackamas

One Suburban County's Search for Land to Support Employment

Amid concerns about lackluster growth, Oregon's Clackamas County plans to create 10,000 new family wage jobs by 2019. But the county lacks the zoned land it needs to accomplish its goals.

May 13, 2015 - OregonLive

Survey Says: Invest in Walking in East Portland

The results of a multi-lingual survey of residents in East Portland produced surprising results about which transportation investments are most desired.

May 2, 2015 - Bike Portland

Mt. Hood and Traffic

A Serious Shortcoming in Oregon's Road Usage Charge?

Business providers have been chosen; the website is operating with a calculator and awaiting 5,000 participants to register. But is the 1.5 cent per mile flat rate an inherent flaw of the OReGO road usage charge program?

April 29, 2015 - Planetizen

Toll Road Truck

Is the Road Usage Charge the Future of Road Funding?

"The road usage charge is the logical evolution in the way we fund surface transportation," stated Patrick Jones, Executive Director of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association at their annual transportation conference in Portland.

April 28, 2015 - Planetizen

Tolling, Road User Charge Examined at Annual Transportation Conference

Transportation finance and road usage charging are the themes of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association's annual conference held in Portland from April 26 to 28 in downtown Portland. Oregon's road usage charge begins July 1.

April 27, 2015 - Planetizen

Oregon Capitol

Oregon Moves to Lift Inclusionary Zoning Ban

By a vote split (nearly) down the party line, the Oregon House passed a bill to end state restrictions on inclusionary zoning. Municipalities may soon be able to require below-market pricing.

April 24, 2015 - Bike Portland

Farmland 'Blight' to Make Way for Industrial Uses Near Portland

Looking to add some industrial heft to the Portland, Oregon region's economy, a recent study makes the case for the North Hillsboro Industrial Area to be built on what is currently farmland.

April 14, 2015 - The Oregonian

Businesses Want Vermont to Adopt Nation's First Carbon Tax

Vermont's legislature will take up the carbon tax proposal this week. The tax is construed as largely revenue neutral, i.e., offset by tax decreases and credits, and apply to heating and transportation fuels. Gov. Peter Shumlin has doubts.

April 13, 2015 - WCAX-TV

Counties Seek State Aid as Drought Deepens in Oregon

California's drought is getting all the press, but much of Oregon is in the fourth year of drought, with this year now qualifying as "exceptional drought."

April 10, 2015 - The Oregonian

Controversial Propane Export Terminal Moves Forward in Portland

The city of Portland is considering a propane export terminal project for the Port of Portland. The export terminal is just one of many energy export facilities under consideration in the Pacific Northwest.

April 8, 2015 - KUOW

Water Pipelines Powering Homes in Portland

A new subterranean turbine technology is now generating enough electricity to power 150 homes in the city of Portland.

April 5, 2015 - Citymetric

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.