Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Is There Still A Need For The Special Assessment Program Within Oregon's Current Land-Use System?, David R. Brooks

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Based on the research completed to date regarding the various components of the Oregon farmland preservation program, one question begs to be asked: "Is there still a need for the Special Assessment Program within Oregon's current land use planning system?"

This paper is an attempt to assess the role of the Special Assessment Program in the context of the overall land use planning system in Oregon. It is my contention that the Special Assessment Program no longer plays a meaningful role in the movement to preserve land in the rural areas of the state. Also, it may actually have perverse …

The Politics Of Implementation: Oregon's Statewide Transportation Planning Rule - What's Been Accomplished, Martha J. Bianco, Sy Adler

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This paper is a case study of the evolution of Oregon’s groundbreaking Transportation Planning Rule, from its adoption in 1991, up through present amendments. Our analysis is an assessment of how private- and public-sector investors grapple with the coproduction of the built environment under the constraints of a value system that emanates from the state, shepherded by litigious public interest groups. In this case, this value system is articulated in the Oregon administrative rule known as the Transportation Planning Rule. This Rule emphasizes a reduction in the reliance on automobiles and, among other things, requires a decrease in vehicle miles …

The Impact Of Congestion Pricing And Parking Taxes On Spatial Competition, Anthony M. Rufolo, Martha J. Bianco

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Policymakers seeking to reduce reliance on single-occupant automobiles are giving serious consideration to methods to price roads during periods of congest ion and to increase the cost of parking. Such policies are intended to induce increases in carpooling and in the use of mass transit; however, they may have unintended consequences that counteract these goals in the long run. In particular, actual implementation of such policies may create differential price increases that affect the spatial competition for markets between firms located in the central city and those in the suburbs. Analyzing such policies using the spatial competition models of location …

Analysis Of Assessment Uniformity In Relation To Favorable Mortgage Terms, James G. Strathman

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This paper examines the capitalization effect of mortgages with favorable terms on the coefficient of intra-area dispersion (COD), the statistic commonly used to measure assessment uniformity. Regression analysis using data from the 1982 Census of Governments indicates that as much as one third of the value of the 1981 state-level CODs can be attributed to the capitalization effects of financing rather than assessment performance. Post-1982 improvements in uniformity can be expected in light of the sharp decline in non-standard sources of mortgage credit.

Neotraditional Design: Resisting The Decentralizing Forces Of New Spatial Technologies, Kenneth Dueker, Martha J. Bianco

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

The New Urbanist, or Neotraditional, movement that has characterized urban planning since the beginning of the 1990s has a vision of how people should live, work, and travel in a manner that, planners believe, will be "best" for society and for the environment. At the core of this vision is the notion that a return to the high densities, architectural form, and lifestyle of the period prior to World War II will result in a better society. A question that is ignored by the neotraditional proposals is the extent to which changing technologies might make calls for higher densities obsolete. …

Challenges Confronting Metropolitan Portland's Transportation Decision-Making Regime, Sheldon Edner, Sy Adler, Peter B. Morris

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

In this paper we discuss the structure and dynamics of this consensus process through an exploration of a series of challenges to the regime. These challenges include: (1) cultivating new sources of project finance, as the federal government reduces its contribution; and (2) integrating transport projects with regional and local land use plans designed to manage urban growth; in the context of (3) intensifying competition between -business centers within the region, as rapidly growing suburban areas seek transport projects that will facilitate locally-oriented economic growth. We first discuss the institutional and normative elements of the regional consensus process in historical …

1988 Oregon Public Transportation Study, Sheldon Edner, Kenneth Dueker, Janice Dean

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Oregon continues to face challenges in public transportation. The lack of a consistent and comprehensive framework of state policy is making local efforts to meet public transportation demands harder and fails to exploit economic and transportation opportunities for improving the vitality of the state. The absence of continuous and stable state financial assistance has weakened the state/local partnership in providing public transportation services and kept mobility for many Oregonians at a minimal level. Finally, as the federal role in funding transportation declines the need for aggressive state leadership increases. The following recommendations for Legislative and Executive action are offered as …

Rivergrove: An Analysis Of Services, Kathi Arlene Ketcheson, Sheldon Edner

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Under the Land Conservation and Development Commission Public Facilities Planning Rule, cities in Oregon are required to develop public facilities plans or planning processes to meet the needs of their communities. The City of Rivergrove requested the Center for Urban Studies to undertake this report as part of its compliance with the LCDC rule. Increasing urbanization and demand for services in the area surrounding Rivergrove present this small city with a unique set of planning issues, including the provision of sewer services to its residents. This report examines the City's financial background and three alternatives for service provision: maintaining the …

1981-82 Revenues And Expenditures In Washington County: An Examination Of Geographic Incidence, Sheldon Edner, Larry Conrad

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

This report is the second phase of what is known as the Washington County Urban Services Study. First phase research commenced in March, 1983 and was completed in December, 1983. The focus of this first phase was the comparative cost of urban service provision by jurisdiction by service for the cities, special districts (excluding schools) and County that provide services inside the Washington County Urban Growth Boundary. The results of this research were reported in "Expenditures for Urban Services in Washington County: A Benchmark Comparison" which was issued in January, 1984. The second phase research examined the revenue and expenditure …