Portland

Portland Approves Plan to Preserve Large Areas as Rural

Portland, Oregon is already known for having a strict policy regarding its urban growth boundary. A new 50-year plan designates large rural reserves, while also holding large areas as urban reserves for possible future development.

August 22, 2011 - The Oregonian

Modeling The Urban System of Portland

A new program is being implemented in Portland, Oregon, to try to quantify and model the behavior of the city.

August 12, 2011 - Fast Company

America's Most Livable City Needs Improvement

Portland leads the nation is sustainability and in fact, may be responsible for starting this movement, but its economy remains mediocre and it is one of America's least diverse cities. Urbanophile's Aaron M. Renn explains why.

July 4, 2011 - Urbanophile

Bikes to Get Buck in New Portland Budget

Portland Mayor Sam Adams has pledged to increase the amount of money dedicated to bicycle planning and bicycle infrastructure from 4% to 17% in the city's next budget.

May 18, 2011 - The Oregonian

Whitest Downtown Gets Even Whiter

Portland, Oregon, famed in planning circles, has a diversity problem that is only getting worse. Downtown is getting whiter, while the demographics of the surrounding area get more diverse.

May 3, 2011 - The Oregonian

Portland's Portal of Opportunity

April 14, 2011 - Fanis Grammenos

Portland Streetcar Extension Plans Prompt Questions

Officials in Portland are keen to expand the city's streetcar system with a proposed $458 million extension project. But some questions about the project remain unanswered.

March 30, 2011 - The Oregonian

An Imperfect Bike Mecca Offers Lessons

Portland, Oregon, is often held up as the nation's most bike-friendly city. But while its reputation is not unearned, it also has room for improvement.

March 12, 2011 - Next American City

Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet

Portland is known today as one of the nation's top bicycling cities, but it wasn't always thus. Mia Birk, the city's bicycle coordinator in the early 90s, explains how the city changed course to create an enviable bicycle infrastructure.

February 28, 2011 - Mia Birk

Bridge Plan Rejected in Favor of Cheaper Alternatives

Long-held plans for a new bridge over the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver, Washington, have been thrown out by a panel of experts who have suggested cheaper alternatives.

February 9, 2011 - The Oregonian

Portland Questions More Food Chains in Maine

Two Virginia-based burger chains are interested in opening locations in Downtown Portland, but are facing opposition from city residents and officials.

February 1, 2011 - The Portland Press Herald

Friday Funny: Bicycle Rights!!

Portlandia is a new TV show spoofing the self-righteously urban culture of Portland. In this clip, a hyper bicycle rights activist zips around the city decrying the evils of automobiles.

January 28, 2011 - My Damn Channel

You Can't Fake City Character

Alex Marshall muses on a new T.V. show set in Portland and how distinctiveness is so important to a city's success.

January 1, 2011 - Citiwire.net

Streetcar the Savior?

Streetcars are increasingly seen as boons to local economies. And with a $130 million federal fund aimed at streetcar projects, some are expecting more systems to develop, according to this article. Others, though, still question the investment.

December 19, 2010 - CNN

Portland's Latest Plaza

Linda Baker reviews the new Simon and Helen Director Park in Portland, Oregon, which she says "resembles an elegant Italian piazza."

December 5, 2010 - Metropolis Magazine

The Not-Quite-20-Minute Neighborhood

Portland wants to create a series of "20-minute neighborhoods" -- places where people can walk, within 20 minutes, to most of the places they need to go and the services they need. Some neighborhoods are already there, but others have a ways to go.

November 16, 2010 - PlanningPool

Transit Bridge Rises in Portland

A new $135m bridge over the Willamette River will include designated lanes for pedestrians, bikes, and public transit vehicles, but not private cars.

November 9, 2010 - Next American City

EcoDistricts to Rise in Portland

Portland has five "eco-district" pilot projects in the works. The first two are expected to begin implementation over the next year, and organizers are hoping they lead to more sustainability efforts throughout the city.

October 27, 2010 - Sustainable Business Oregon

B.C. and Washington Seek High Speed Rail to California

Officials in the Pacific Northwest are calling for a high speed rail line that connects British Columbia with California.

October 21, 2010 - CBC

Portland's EcoDistricts

Launched in 2009 as an effort to choose five neighborhoods where sustainability measures could be quickly implemented and tested out, the city of Portland's EcoDistricts are entering their pilot phase.

October 19, 2010 - Next American City

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.