Nice video here at treehugger.com about Transit-Oriented Development or TOD. It’s a video borrowed from Fast Company magazine, and details a bit of how Portland has become such a landmark for TOD enthusiasts and planners.
For my readers in Kansas City, I think it’s always interesting to think about Portland and compare it to our own city, or other cities in the Midwest of comparable size. In the 1970′s, Portland was a smaller and by all means less-important city than KC. Starting then, they made a conscious series of decisions to embrace walkability, transit, and away from suburban sprawl. The results are impressive, to say the least. Today, Portland is a faster-growing region than KC, draws far more young people, and has a dynamic central city. It’s done all this while being more efficient with public dollars and offering its citizens more options in how to get around. A great lesson for all of us.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/portland-transit-oriented-development.php
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I thought you might be interested in a historical architectural model constructed by I.M. Pei that hasn’t been on display since 1995 and will be going back on public display May 3 in Oklahoma City. If you think this is something your readers would be interested in learning more about, please e-mail me! I’d love to provide you with additional materials and a press release.
Jessica – please share w/ us.
Thanks,
Kevin
I am from Oregon and live in Portland currently. It is amazing to see how much it has changed over the years and how the transit system has benefited some areas greatly while leaving some out in the cold. Another big factor of planning, design and development out here is the Urban Growth Boundary which does a great job of preventing sprawl and keeping the density of the city high.
Best, Matt Tackett
http://www.urbanhomespdx.com