Oregon
Oregon Goes Big in Transportation Funding Requests
In Oregon, transportation officials are set to vote on an ambitious list of transportation projects that they hope will garner funding when Congress allocates transportation money this year.
States Prepare To Raise Gas Taxes
Plummeting gas prices, roads in disrepair, and soaring state deficits have caused some state politicians to, gasp, attempt to raise gas taxes - last raised over 15 years ago in some states.
Creating Sustainability in Oregon
The master plan for Salem, Oregon's Pringle Creek Community is ambitious, says Jim Fitzsimons, incorporating mixed-use, sustainable development with the community-enhancing aspects of old city neighborhoods.
Oregon UGB Expanded
Bend, Oregon councilmembers took no more than five minutes to vote to expand the city's urban growth boundaries, adding nearly 9,000 acres of developable land to the city's map.
Oregon To Introduce VMT Fee Legislation
Oregon was the first state to study replacing state gas taxes with a Vehicle Miles Traveled fee in 2007. Now Gov. Kulongoski is taking the next step - introducing legislation to replace the 24-cent gas tax with a VMT fee that applies GPS technology.
Timber Town Is Reborn As Manufacturer
A former Oregon timber town learned to evolve when its logging business dried up in the '80s, and now boasts a growing manufacturing industry. It's being seen as a model for other towns facing similar changes.
Revisiting the Future of Ecotopia
Ecotopia is a '70s cult novel that imagines a future where the Pacific Northwest secedes from the U.S. to become an environmentally-conscious utopian state. The NY Times reflects on the influence of this under-recognized novel.
Deal Brokered for Biggest Dam Removal Project in U.S.
Officials have brokered a deal to remove dams from the Klamath River in the Pacific Northwest -- a plan intended to counteract sharp declines in salmon counts and appease environmentalists. But the plan is also meeting criticism.
Billion-Dollar Transportation Plan Announced in Oregon
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has proposed a suite of tax and fee increases to create more than $1 billion for transportation projects in the state. The package will hit the legislature in January.
Pioneer Square, 25 Years On
Portland's Pioneer Square, designed back in 1983, is still looked t as a model of successful public space design. Landscape Architect Doug Macy looks back on the thought that went into the design.
Bike Racks as Public Art Gaining Popularity
Quirky, artistic bike racks are cropping up in cities around the country--a trend that benefits more than just cyclists.
Oregon Feels Pinch of Foreclosure Crisis
The foreclosure scourge has moved its way into Oregon, causing some of the highest rates of loan defaults since the 1980s.
Nancy Pelosi, Symbol of the West
The myth of the American West as a wild, natural place is long gone, says urban studies professor Carl Abbott. The Western U.S. is actually the most urban part of the nation.
Have Bike Lanes, Cyclists Will Travel
Cyclists are much more likely to use bike lanes when they're available -- even if it means going out of their way and taking longer routes, according to a recent study from Portland State University.
Bridge Planners Face Hurdles in Portland
As new design requirements come in at a late stage, bridge planners in Portland are trying to nail down a design for the new light rail bridge that is affordable, appropriate and beautiful. But the beauty aspect may fall to economics.
Wine Bars Raise Property Values
CoolTown Studios looks at a recent study in Portland, OR that shows that certain retail establishments- cafes, movie theaters, wine bars- increase property values in neighborhoods by up to 30%.
Specialty Shops Raise Home Values
A recent study of home values in Portland finds that close proximity to such amenities as specialty grocery stores and movie theaters can raise values as much as 20%.
Relating Peak Oil To Auto Dependency And Urban Planning
Daniel Lerch, author of "Post Carbon Cities" presents his thoughts for a new California Dream in a 'post carbon future' in which cars still exist but are used sparingly due to urban planning that reduces their necessity. He looks toward Portland.
EPA Criticizes Oregon Bridge Planners for Ignoring Sprawl
Federal regulators have criticized planners of a bridge expansion for not considering how the new bridge would induce sprawl and increase pollution.
Taking Action for 'More and Better Options'
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) is doing more than responding to Gov. Glendening's recent op-ed on Planetizen calling for more and better options -- he's also introducing legislation to do just that.
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
