A visit to Portland

The last weekend of March I went to Portland to see my elderhostel aunt and visit friends from Texas who now live in Hillsboro. Also, I was keen to check out the interesting land use features that have bestowed a positive reputation regarding Portland's livability.  My trip to Portland started on a Saturday morning riding my bike to the Amtrak Station in Eugene.  Taking a bike on the train is easy and having a bike in Portland is a great way to explore.  There were two destinations of this urban land use safari.  One was the downtown area known as the Riverview and Pearl Districts.  The other was in Washington County along MAX, the light rail line.  This area is of interest because of unusual land use planning that focuses on development along the light rail line rather than a large suburban freeway.  That second part of the tour also includes along with fotos, an explanation of LUTRAQ, the set of planning strategies that is shaping develop- ment in Washington County.

                                                                        The Pearl and Riverview Districts

The bike ride to the train station is along the Willamette. Beautiful greenway into town.  On the train, I met a precocious 10th grader named Sara.  She knew all about global trade issues, sustainability concepts and zeroed right in on urban land use strategies i explained to her.  The ride takes about two hours.  The train car was not full but well over 50%.  We say a bald eagle along the river near Oregon City.

I met Jacob at Union Station in downtown Portland.  He is a transportation advocate for Thousand Friends of Oregon and provided excellent explanations throughout the tour.  First we walked to the nearby Pearl and Riverview area.  This is an example of urban redevelopment.  Part of the area was a superfund site, a former rail yard.  Other parts were old, unused warehouses.  New construction has happened on the old cleaned up brown fields with various guidelines from the city.  For example, the cost of housing mix is in the same proportion as housing overall in Portland.  That means there is affordable housing included in the development.

There is a trolley line that runs through the complex of 10 to 15 blocks.  Residents who want cars pay extra for the parking.  Developers are allowed taller structures if they enhance their projects with aesthetic amenities like landscaped courtyards.  Some lofts are designed for artisans and artists who can live above and have their retail space below at street level.  I am told the condos were sold out before construction was completed.  There is much more development planned and underway.  Let's take a look.

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Leaving for a train on a bike.  Travel with a bike can be very convenient.  Amtrak is very hospitable towards bikes.
Jacob and Eco Trust Building.  Closer property, yet to be built.  Distant residential.

Mixed use.  Commercial below and residential above.  Residents' cars inside somewhere.
View of local trolley from Eco Trust property.  Note parking lot swale in foreground.

Notes.  Amtrak will take bikes.  I did not have to box it up. The Eco Trust Building is home to a variety of "socially responsible" businesses and organizations.  They have a permeable "eco friendly" parking lot.  A living roof and a swale along the parking lot that can process the storm water runoff on site.
 
 

Riverview looking south.  This area was part of the old rail yard.  New life from a brown field.
This is a Flex Car.  Members pay a set fee and a user fee.  Car sharing.  Eco Trust parking lot.

Lofts.  Old buildings renewed but maintaining their character.
A very nice courtyard.  This will be even more attractive when it is mature.

Note;  The old rail yard is an excellent example of cleaning up a polluted industrial location and transforming it into useful purpose.  While most cities in the US have areas expanding at a rate faster than population gain, Portland is moving in the opposite direction.  Increasing residential density in smart ways, particularly in urban core areas, is fundamental to revitalizing urban areas.
 
 

Another courtyard view.  The buildings have architectural variety.
Trolley line in place before development planned for both sides of the tracks

Historic trolley will replace even more cars.  GM beware. Building behind the trolley is prime candidate for upward development.
A new project.  This old warehouse will become reborn.  Central courtyard, character maintained, trolley line.

Notes;  Along with increased residential density, the Pearl and Riverview Districts benefit by a trolley line.  This is called Transit Oriented Development.  Development and transportation are planned together.  This strategy is essential to providing residents with better transportation choices.  Less need for automobiles delivers many benefits.  There is even a type of mortgage loan being pioneered that favors people who don't have cars.  They receive preferred service because less of their financial resources are drained by a car[s].  That makes them more attractive to the loaning institution.
 
 

Three stories become six.  This older building is a piggy back.  Set backs are intriguing.
Another add on across the street from the image to the left.

Waterfront near the yacht basin.  Mixed use but you won't find a hardware store.
Promenade along the River.  Once again, an urban space reborn.

Older buildings can become taller buildings, adding to residential and commercial possibilities.  The waterfront area is also mixed use, commercial and residential, although both are mostly upscale.  The promenade along the river is a reclaimed area, once seedy and derelict.  It is a wonderful open and public space.
 

Pioneer Square.  A popular public space downtown.  Note Max opposite.  Public spaces add much to a city's character.
Geographical sign is educational and adds character to the ambiance.  Pioneer Square.

Bike spiral.  Interesting and practical.  East side of the Willamette.
Pizza with friends.  Visit made without a car.

 
 

After our downtown explorations, Jacob and I took Max west towards Hillsboro, stopping several places along the way for explanations of how development in that area has been affected by LUTRAQ.  I suggest reading the following short explanation of LUTRAQ.  LUTRAQ is a response to Portland's own unique geography and urban history.  Similar strategies can be made use of for practically any town in this country, large or small.  Mixed land use patterns with much improved transportation choices is critical to revitalizing urban areas.

LUTRAQ information below was taken from the publication "Making the
Connections", A summary of the LUTRAQ project by 1000 Friends of Oregon.  534 SW Third Ave. Suite 300  Portland, OR  07204

LUTRAQ is an innovative land use and transportation strategy that took shape in 1988 in metropolitan Portland.  LUTRAQ [Land Use TRansportation Air Quality] was chosen as the preferred option over the Western Bypass, a suburban freeway intended to run from south of Interstate 205 south of Portland northwest- ward across Washington County past Hillsboro to US Highway 26 . The Federal Highway Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and other entities funded the research that resulted in LUTRAQ.  Between 1991 and 1997 LUTRAQ provide eleven technical reports including integrated land use, transportation marketing, urban design and market feasibility of transit oriented development.  The focal point of LUTRAQ is Washington County, on the western side of Portland's UGB. Cities in that area include Hillsborough, Beverton and Tigard.

Like many cities in the US, Portland was experiencing a growing population and worsening traffic congestion through the 70's. Much of this circumstance was the result of suburban style low density residential land use patterns.  The LUTRAQ approach contains three primary elements:
1]  Land Use Policy-to promote a more compact form of development, protect
open spaces and reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled [VMT]
2]  Transportation Investment-to promote better transportation choices such as pedestrian, bicycle and transit to reduce VMT
3]  Market strategies-integrated planning using market strategies to support land use and transportation goals.  They include carpooling, parking pricing, transit incentives, economic development incentives and a variety of fees and policies. LUTRAQ is a blue print that blends land use policy, transportation investment and market strategies.

On the ground, new development takes the form of mixed use-commercial, residential and employment areas located along light rail and express bus lines.  Current analysis as these plans are built out show that VMT at present is less than what was anticipated had the by pass been constructed.  Air quality is also better than the by pass projections. Certainly not to be regarded as the ultimate example of perfect land use and transportation, Portland is still considered as a national model of "smart growth."  Portland has received many awards for it innovative land use policies and is always considered among the top of "most livable" cities.
 
 
 
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