Portland
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.
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.
Study: Oregon Bikers Abide Red Lights
Move aside, myth of the reckless biker who flouts the law at every possible junction.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Parking Lot Tax Considered Among Portland’s Downtown Plans
A proposal to tax and eventually prohibit parking lots in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown is pitting two powerful figures in Portland’s downtown land use politics against each other.
Airbnb’s 'Shared City' Program Will Collect, Remit Taxes
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky recently announced the beginning of the “Shared City” initiative, which will “cut red tape” and “collect and remit taxes.” Airbnb will test the program in Portland before tailoring and exporting the program to other cities.
How Important is High Frequency Transit Service?
Earlier this month, Portland’s TriMet restored high frequency bus service to ten bus routes around the city. Jarrett Walker makes the case that the frequency of service can make or break a city’s transit system.
Ritzy Neighborhoods Struggling Against Infill
The market forces that push developers and landowners to build “more” and “bigger” have cropped up in some of the swankiest neighborhoods in Portland. So far, neighbors who oppose the projects are finding scant legal recourse to prevent the changes.
On the Racial Complications of Gentrification in Portland
Anna Griffin, reporting for the Oregonian, produced a pair of recent articles examining the process of gentrification in Portland—a city that recent saw gentrification controversy spark over the location of a Trader Joe’s.
Portland Reconsidering its Urban Renewal Districts
The city of Portland is mulling changes to its urban renewal districts—including eliminating the newest of the lot, the Education District near Portland State University.
After Legal Setback, Oregon Acts to Reset Urban Growth Boundaries
Earlier in February, the Oregon Court of Appeals threw out a 50-year growth plan approved in 2010 for Metro and Portland area counties. Oregon legislators reacted with House Bill 4078, which has broad support.
A City that Takes its Planning Seriously (or Not)
Portland is a city that's often better known by the representations of it—like the television show Portlandia—than as an actual working city.
Study: Portland Citizens Want Transportation Safety Investments
A recent telephone poll of Portland citizens asked what types of transportation investments they prioritize for the city. The top two responses both include “safe.”
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
