Portland: Celebrating America’s Most Livable City

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Portland: Celebrating America’s Most Livable City

Last Fall, many members of the Portland Office of Transportation and city administration were gracious enough to talk with me and show off some of the amazing features that make Portland, Oregon one of America's most livable places to reside.

You've previously seen bits and pieces of that trip here on StreetFilms, but we've never posted the entire half hour adventure which contains over 12 minutes of additional footage. And with the incredible turn in leadership in the past months and the speed at which changes are coming, it gives me hope that NYC could one day become as livable as Portland!

This is our first video posting over 15 minutes so we've tried to keep the file size as small as possible. Thus, the quality is a smidgen lower. Please send us feedback on how it looks and if your computer is able to play it.

Dan

Thanks for posting this 30 min vid. I've been hearing so much about Portland, but this was the most comprehensive look I've had. The quality was very watchable by the way.

- Dan (Sacramento, CA)
PS they should be saying "Speed Humps" not "Bumps"...
http://www.trafficcalming.org/
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Charles Siegel

I was interested to hear that per capita VMT in Portland has declined from 23 to 19. Do we have more information on that: is that vmt per day? what time frame has that decline happened in? Is there a reference we can include in a footnote?

This statistic refutes the claim of Randal O'Toole and others that Portland's planning has not reduced auto use, so it would be great to have a good reference for it.

Of course, it is easier to get people to walk and bicycle in Portland than in most places, because you don't have to worry about getting a sunburn in Portland.
Greg Raisman

That statistic was given by Rex Burkholder. He is an elected offical who leads Metro, our regional government. Rex is the chair of the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation which leads regional transportation policy.

Metro, as an agency, is also responsible for tracking VMT in the region. So, Rex reporting the number is a cite within itself because he is the agency head that tracks VMT. If you want more detail, you can find it on their web page at http://www.metro-region.org/. There is also a link there to email Rex if you need more info.

I am not involved in the VMT modeling and can not give more detail.

Thanks.
Greg Raisman
Community and School Traffic Safety Partnership
Portland Office of Transportation
(503) 823-1052
flo

thanks for that video, we could need such improvements for bikes and pedestrians here in vienna (austria, europe) too.

and thumbs up for posting with a creative commons license!
http://ronaldraygun.livejournal.com Sam Clifford

That's the kind of stuff I wish we'd see in Brisbane, Australia. Unfortunately, our city council is borrowing billions of dollars to build a network of tunnels with no filtering on the emissions stack.

I think the best way to beat congestion in Brisbane is to dig up Portland and put it where Brisbane is.
gecko

Inspirational. Provides perspective on how embryonic things are. Lots of work for everyone.
brett

This Portlander says thanks for showing everyone else some of what makes our city so wonderful -- it's why I moved to Portland, and plenty of others are doing the same precisely because they want to live in a livable place where they have choices in transportation. I hope that creates a critical mass of people who will continue to vote for leaders and policies that make Portland so attractive.

Two cautions: first, none of this happened by luck; it took hard work by visionary leaders and informed citizens willing to vote for long term investments and against politicians offering nostrums (e.g. "no new taxes" and "government is the problem") instead of progressive solutions, like the urban growth boundary and other tough political choices that make the policies shown here feasible. We still fight these battles in almost every election. Second, I'm posting this from the Netherlands, which has invested far more in bike and pedestrian facilities (e.g. separated bike/ped lanes). As a result, biking and walking are much more a part of daily life for most citizens, rather than a relatively small (though growing) minority, as in Portland, and that makes Holland a delightful place to live. We've done some great things in Portland, but the Dutch show that there's still a lot more we and other American cities can do to create really livable communities.
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Barb

I have lived in Milwaukie and Hillsboro, OR. for a total of 65 years. I love all of the Pacific Northwest & esp Portland. To me this has always been "The City" . b/c...its very clean and easy to get around to different areas of the city esp when using MAX. Most people are extremely friendly and the views of the mtns. can not be overlooked. Mayor Bud and Mayor Vera did a lot to move the city in the 'green' direction. Kudo's for them as they had a clear vision and made it happen. Now that I have retired to another state the spirit of the city lives within me and I long to return for a visit with friends and to find a fir tree to hug. In my heart I am an Oregonian, proud and liberal.
Barb
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http://www.trajectoires-fluides.com Sabri

Really nice ! I am a french worker in Paris, and my city is experiencing the "Vélib'" bikeshare system for a few weeks, its a big succes which is aimed to change the face of the city, I am glad to see that Portland bikers can have breakfast on their arrival, it would be a great idea to support responsible transportation, especially during the winter, when biking is harder !
http://www.lawnstogardens.com Randy White

Love to see Portland in such a great light, and there is much more to be done than transportation.
Steve Spellman

As a bike commuter and member of an acitve transportation advocacy group in Columbia, Missouri, (www.pednet.org) we hold Portland as a model community. This film is a great feature of what's happening on the street with individual citizens, and the friendly face of their local transportation officials (they even receive love letters for their work!?!).
Many innovations like what Portland has done can be done to some degree in many other communities, but is great time and effort. But is well worth it. Great film.
Mary ALice

I'm movin' to Portland!!! AWESOME video!!!
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James

This is a great video. Now I really want to visit Portland. More importantly, now I can see what _is_ possible for a city to be more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. I hope that this will inspire NY to take action.
Patrick Finn

I'm shocked I wasn't in any of the footage!
Seriously, I have been absolutely ecstatic about the increase in bike commuting I have witnessed in the past three years. Having migrated here from Carroll Gardens Brooklyn I was looking for the urban excitement I found in NYC and I have really found it being a bike commuter. Carroll Gardens was very much a Euro sort of feeling, with all the small businesses and deep sense of community, but riding a bike in NYC ( at least back in the nid 90's ) was like dropping into a warzone ( which had it's own sort of fun and allure, but four taxi collisions later seemed a bit life threatening.
Now I drive only when I'm lazy. I ride my bike into the city every day and interact with my fellow cyclists and revel in my non-petroleum dependence. The sense of security and well being this activity generates is beyond value, and I recommend it to everyone. You can advocate for bicycle transportation in your own community, or move to Portland, there's still lot's of cheap real estate!(compared to NYC anyway)
mike

I live in Austin, Texas, and I hope that someday we can make this a more bicycle-friendly community. Progress is slow. Great video!
http://www.livingstreets.com/ Steven Waters

I live in Raleigh, NC and am working hard to promote walkability and the urban living revolution here. I want you to know that this video has provided a lot of inspiration for folks here. I tell people I would pay $100 to see it if it wasn't free. Thank you for your generosity in making it available at no cost.
P.S. Raleigh and Cary had an election yesterday that replaced several anti-downtown mayors and council members with civic leaders who support growth management. That was the defining issue in the elections here, and I am working hard to point out that walkability is the answer to the myriad problems concomitant with urban sprawl.
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http://sustainableflatbush.org Anne (www.sustainableflatbush.org)

go clarence! the world is watching!
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Elisa

I moved away from Portland a year ago and watching this video brought tears to my eyes. While there, I biked around 300 miles a month, daughter in tow, to work, to school, to the grocery store, and so on. I miss you Portland!!!
http://loupathways.org Mike

THANK YOU! Excellent work. Very persuasive. As a member of the city Pathways Commission here in Oxford Mississippi, this is just the sort of inspiration we need. I am sending a link to our Mayor and city planners.
local yokel

As a Portlander, I too enjoyed looking at what has been accomplished.But, as a city,we bo where close to the finish line.

But don't feel inclined to chuck living where you do and move to Portland for its transportation rep. We still have huge gridlock on the freeways, we still violate clean air standards,etc. Not as freqently as other cities,but still we do. Someone once remarked to me that its not a case of Portland being so great, its just that > sucks so badly.

The challenge is to bring your community into the fold. The economics of transit will do a lot more for that cause than all the activism and attitude.
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JP

That was fantastic!

I am wondering is how do cyclists and pedestrians cope with the weather in Portland? I noticed in the video many were wearing special jackets and gloves. I would have liked to see a little section of this video that demonstrates how you can stay comfortable, warm, and dry while not in car.
JP

That was fantastic!

I am wondering is how do cyclists and pedestrians cope with the weather in Portland? I noticed in the video many were wearing special jackets and gloves. I would have liked to see a little section of this video that demonstrates ways you can stay comfortable, warm, and dry without a car.
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Mike B

Great video on a great city. Portland is a model other cities should follow.

That being said, I would like to know if you checked out the suburbs much? Do people outside of the core city bike as much, or ride transit? Or is it just more an inner city thing?

No doubt Portland is a great model. Just one thing I would like to see improve, is the transit situation. Something like only 6%(approx 12% in Portland City) of metro wide work trips are made on transit.
For a city doing great things I am sure they can bring the transit useage up higher.

Keep up the good work.
RedFlyer

America's most dydfunctional city. You've been drinking the kool aid.
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http://bikesmut.com revphil

omg @ 12:14 ayleen and sam = hot
http://www.gettingaroundportland.org Greg Raisman

Oh good rev, you are right as usual. That is hot.
Arianna

This was a great clip! I encountered your video clip on moving by bike on NAU - the collective - loved that too! My sister lives in Portland and I find myself continually impressed with the level of creativity and action that inhabits this city. I am inspired - Thank you!!!
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http://www.asmithphotography.com Angela

I live in Portland and it truely is wonderful...if you can just learn to love the rain!
http://angelasmithphotography.blogspot.com Brandon

I was fortunate enough to be a part of this. It was a wonderful event!
Mike kanelis

Grew up in P-Town, bought my first serious bike in 1982, Greatest bike town in America. Rode to work rode to school rode for fun. Best form of stress release. I rode right past the traffic. Portland hands down is the smartest city in America. Go Blazers!
Mark B.

I am amazed at the commitment to the alternative-transportation lifestyle; this is what i've been looking for and wanting for YEARS! I first heard about Portland being very 'bike-centric' a few years back, and that was enough to motivate me to look further into it. My blended/extended family, however, has found other reasons to quash my advocacy to move there....

Every city should aspire to emulate Portland in this fashion, and not just for the benefit of cyclists; the 'drive' to drive, and to be all about the car, has been a major stumbling block in the evolving of our culture in America. It's brought us to the brink of national bankruptcy and disgrace, and has cost us a major chunk of our souls. We need Portland's example to be 'the chemo to the national cancer'.

Never let go, Portlanders!!
Elkhound

I have been reading lots of things on various blogs, newsgroups, bulletin boards, etc. that all is not quite so well in Portland.

There have been stories about cyclists injured or killed by motorists who were clearly at fault, but the district attorney has refused to prosecute. There have been stories of the Portland police harassing cyclists, including one of a cyclist tazed into a heart attack by police officers who never identified themselves as such.

Obviously one side or the other is being less than truthful.
CychoPortlander

Stop IT! Stop telling people about us! Let's just keep this graceful city under our hats. We're scared more Californians are going to find out about us.

(Seriously, I hope this inspires people to change their own cities...)

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