This Strategic Plan is designed to guide future investments by the Metro TOD Program, in order to ensure the program maximizes the opportunities for catalyzing transit-oriented development throughout the region and effectively leverages additional resources to comprehensively advance TOD in all station areas and frequent bus corridors.
Portland — The Infill Design Toolkit: Medium-Density Residential Development
This guide is intended to serve as a resource for community members—builders, designers, neighbors and others—all who are involved in designing, building, or participating in dialogue about the new development that continues to shape the form of Portland’s neighborhoods. Its focus is on new “infill” development in established neighborhood areas, particularly where continuation of positive aspects of existing character is a community priority. Infill development can take place as construction on vacant land or as redevelopment that replaces pre-existing buildings.
Housing Prototypes — Solutions for Achieving Density and Neighborhood-friendly Design on Small Infill Sites
The housing prototypes of this section are intended to serve as a problem-solving tool to help improve the design of medium-density infill housing projects, particularly in the R2 and R1 multidwelling zones. The prototypes highlight medium-density housing types and configurations that are suitable for common infill situations, meet City regulations and design objectives, and are feasible from a market perspective. They illustrate solutions for common infill design challenges such as balancing parking needs with pedestrian-friendly design and providing usable open space while achieving density goals. They are also intended to help broaden the range of housing types being built in Portland by presenting innovative configurations, with a particular focus on arrangements conducive to ownership housing. The prototypes continue characteristic neighborhood street frontage patterns by featuring house-like building volumes along street fronts and by providing opportunities for landscaping.
Integrated Land Use and Transportation Policies: What Can Reykjavík, Iceland and Other Cities Learn from Portland, Oregon?
This paper discusses integrated land use and transportation planning policies in Portland, Oregon and the lessons learned in the city’s fight against sprawl and extensive automobile-use. In particular, it focuses on how Portland’s experience with such policies can be of use to other cities which are dealing with sprawl and extensive automobile-use, particularly Reykjavík, Iceland. Portland is very famous for progressive planning and there is a wealth of information in the literature about its experience. The city is often mentioned in relation to planning initiatives such as urban growth management, smart growth, transit-oriented development (TOD), New Urbanism, and integrated land use and transportation planning to name a few. Integrated land use and transportation planning aims at mitigating problems stemming from automobile use and creating a compact and liveable city environment with land use solutions. Like most North-American cities, Reykjavík was mostly developed after the arrival of the automobile and is considered sprawled compared to most other European cities. Therefore it could learn from cities such as Portland which has dealt with similar problems as Reykjavík in an innovative and strategic way for close to four decades.
The Effects of Portland’s Urban Growth Boundary on Urban Development Patterns and Commuting
This research investigates the effects of Portland’s urban growth boundary (UGB) on urban development patterns and mobility. Three different methods are adopted for evaluating Portland’s UGB: intermetropolitan comparisons; comparisons inside and outside the UGB; and, statistical analyses utilising regression models. Intermetropolitan comparisons do not support the conclusion that Portland’s UGB has been effective in slowing down suburbanisation, enhancing infill development and reducing auto use. A significant level of spillover from the counties in Oregon to Clark County of Washington took place during the 1990s, indicating that the UGB diverted population growth into Clark County. Results from the statistical analyses also support the above findings. The UGB dummy variable was not significant during the 1980s and 1990s, indicating that the UGB had little impact on the location of new housing construction during the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike the UGB, the Clark County dummy variable is significant for both models, supporting the spillover effects of the UGB.
Vancouver/Williams Corridor Infill Strategy
The Vancouver / Williams Corridor in inner North / Northeast Portland is one of Portland’s oldest commercial districts – serving first as the downtown for the City of Albina, and later becoming the Main Street for Portland’s African-American community.
The Corridor is strategically located just north of Portland’s Central City, with proximity and ready access to key regional transportation routes, employment centers, meeting and entertainment venues, and shopping. As a result, the Vancouver / Williams area is now
A community planning effort led by the Vancouver / Williams Task Force has been underway for several years to capitalize on this new environment of opportunity for the Corridor. The goal has been to restore and enhance the historic vitality of the Corridor and nearby neighborhoods. Through the Task Force’s efforts, a shared community vision has emerged for the Corridor – one that is supported by area residents and businesses alike. At the heart of this vision is a strongly held communitywide belief – a desire that existing residents and businesses should benefit from new development as it occurs along the Vancouver / Williams Corridor.