Oregon
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Connection Due On Time, Under Budget
The thing of legend will come to pass: the TriMet Portland-Milwaukie light rail construction project is expected for delivery on time and between $10 and $40 million under budget.
North Carolina Struggles to Prevent Deep Gas Tax Cut
The News & Observer's "road worrier" (not a typo!), Bruce Siceloff, provides ongoing coverage of the sad saga of North Carolina's gas tax, set to be adjusted downwards by statute.
A Response to the Loss of Black Communities in Portland
A five-minute video funded by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation tells the story of black communities struggling to preserve their traditions in what's been called the whitest city in the United States.
Urban Renewal District Ready to Pay Off in Beaverton
An urban renewal district established in 2011 in the city of Beaverton, Oregon has so far fallen short of its 150-million potential. But as the local economy improves, so too does the tax increment and bond financing potential of the district.
GPS Technology Chosen for Oregon's Road Usage Charge
Oregon's much heralded mileage fee program, known as OReGO, has selected the technology to record the miles driven by participants. A French and Canadian company will collaborate to provide a telematics road usage charging framework to begin July 1.
Oregon Bill Would Require Reflective Clothing for Bikers
State lawmakers in Oregon are the latest to consider a law that would require bikers riding at night to wear reflective clothing.
Another California First: the End of the Carbon Externality for Motorists
California's cap-and-trade market saw its largest carbon sale, $1.02 billion, thanks to millions of motorists now paying about a dime a gallon for the right to emit carbon for the first time since the program began in November 2012.
Portland Planners Asked to Say 'No' More Often
The head of Portland's Bureau of Development Services is asking that planners raise standards for discretionary review of development proposals. Among the points made to planners in a recent memo: customer service is not the same as getting to "yes."
Portland Tops Gentrification Study
Research published by Governing Magazine finds that Portland, Oregon is the U.S. city with the highest degree of gentrification in this century.
Transitmix Finds Professional Applications, Municipal Partners
Transitmix, an online tool for sketching out and testing fantasy transit routes, has evolved beyond its original mass appeal to become a trusted tool for transportation planners around the country.
5 Ways to Add Density (High Rises Not Included)
In some cities the idea of adding a high rise is always dead on arrival, even if the city desperately needs to add density. For those communities facing similar challenges, a post on Blooming Rock offers five ways to think outside the high-rise box.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
