Thanks to a progressive public transportation portfolio that includes train, streetcar, bus and aerial tram, Portland has become a global model of transit-oriented development (TOD). For more than 40 years, city planners have uniquely integrated transport decisions into urban growth and development efforts. The result, Portland is consistently ranked as one of the country’s most liveable cities, boasting a healthy two percent population growth annually — and the second lowest per capita transportation spending of the 28 largest U.S. metropolitan areas.
The most recent installment of the e² series – e² transport – examines sustainable transportation alternatives with potentially far-reaching effects. The series introduces a broad range of ideas to address the crises of automobile culture and fossil fuel dependence: from existing technologies, to long-term urban planning, to economic incentives. Even if regional transportation becomes more efficient, people and goods will still need to travel the world.