Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

How To Pay For Transportation? A Survey Of Public Preferences, Jennifer Dill, Asha Weinstein Agrawal

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

States around the nation are scrambling to find new sources of revenue to maintain and expand their transportation systems. The traditional major source of funds, state and federal fuel taxes, has rarely kept pace with inflation. In most cases state legislatures have been unwilling to raise fuel taxes high enough to cover desired levels of expenditure, thus pushing state and local governments to look for new sources such as sales taxes and tolls. Another outcome of legislative reluctance to raise fees and taxes that generate transportation revenues has been to put any potential revenue measure before the voters, as a …

Travel And Transit Use At Portland Area Transit-Oriented Developments (Tods), Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years there has been a growing interest in using land use planning to reduce reliance on the automobile long-term, through ideas such as smart growth, New Urbanism, pedestrian pockets, and transit-oriented development (TODs). Many growing regions throughout the United States, are turning to these concepts to address problems of traffic congestion and suburban sprawl. However, the effectiveness of such policies in reducing automobile travel and improving livability is largely unknown. Portland was one of the early adopters and is often pointed to as a model for other regions. The Region's 2040 Growth Concept, adopted by the Metro regional …

Community-Based Learning And Social Justice, Karen Gibson

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is a reflective essay on the ways in which community-based learning (CBL) enriches the work life of a faculty member who retains working-class roots and an interest in social justice. Using examples from courses and applied research on community development, housing, ,:and poverty, the essay explains how meaningful relationships with community organizations act as a counter-balance to the isolation of an academic career. It also discusses the value of community-based learning when teaching about social justice themes.

Evaluating A New Urbanist Neighborhood, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

New Urbanist neighborhoods aim to improve sustainability by reducing automobile use, increasing walking and cycling, increasing the diversity of land uses and people, and increasing social capital, through strengthened personal and civic bonds. With more New Urbanist communities being constructed, it is now more feasible and necessary to evaluate their success. Much of the existing research uses older, traditional neighborhoods as a proxy for New Urbanism. This research compares a New Urbanist development with two conventional subdivisions and finds that some of the objectives are being fulfi lled, in both direct and indirect ways. While New Urbanist residents are walking …

The Light On The Horizon: Imagining The Death Of American Cities, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cities in the United States have never known the direct effects of total war. Lacking this bitter experience, Americans have had to imagine the impacts of catastrophic warfare on their urban centers. This paper examines fictional depictions of future warfare as it has been imagined to affect U.S. cities, particularly since 1945. It draws on films, short stories, and novels from the "thriller," "future war," and science fiction genres to explore common assumptions and underlying attitudes about cities and city life. It finds that cities are conspicuous by their absence from such stories of future war and its impacts. Cities …

Urban History For Planners, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article analyzes the conceptual and historiographic differences between the closely related fields of urban history and planning history. It reviews the origins of urban history as a distinct field and argues that work in urban history falls into three broad categories dealing with civic life, individual and group relations, and the physical evolution of urban places. It identifies topics that are particularly fruitful and generate new scholarship, and suggests ways in which each of these realms of urban history raises questions of relevance to urban planning and urban policy.

An Evaluation Of The Oregon Department Of Transportation’S (Odot) Environmental Streamlining Efforts: A Focus On Cetas, Connie P. Ozawa, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Oregon Department of Transportation responded to the federal call in the late 1990s to streamline the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by (1) implementing organizational and procedural changes internal to the agency, (2) funding ODOT-dedicated staff positions in state and federal resource agencies, and (3) convening regular meetings with state and federal agencies with NEPA-related regulatory responsibilities. This latter effort evolved into the CETAS (Collaborative Environmental and Transportation Agreement for Streamlining) process that includes a management and a technical team element. This document reports an assessment of the effectiveness of these efforts. Phase I of the study was designed …

Homesteading On The Extraterrestrial Frontier, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many science fiction writers depend on the multiple narratives of the American West as templates for framing their understandings of the future. This essay examines the ways in which the western homesteading story has been adapted in fictions about future planetary settlement. It argues that the increasing complexity of these treatments reflects the deepening awareness of the ambiguities of the American homesteading experience and parallels many of the insights of the 'new western history.' Key texts discussed include Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, Robert Heinlein's Farmer in the Sky, Philip K. Dick's Martian Time-Slip, Kim Stanley Robinson's Blue Mars, Jonathan …

Impacts Of Trip Permit Program Changes On Vehicle Operations And Inspections, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research project has two inter-related parts: (1) an assessment of the equity of implications of the emissions inspection program in the State of Oregon and elsewhere; and (2) an assessment of the impacts of the new trip permit program on vehicle operations. The study provides a better understanding of the benefits and equity impacts of the inspection program and the recent change to the trip permit system. The findings will be of use to Oregon, as well as all public agencies that oversee vehicle inspection programs throughout the country. The research includes specific recommendations for addressing equity concerns and …

Survey Of Merrick Tod Residents Final Report, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Merrick is a mixed-use, transit-oriented development located at 1231 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Portland, in the Lloyd Center/Rose Quarter area. There are 185 rental apartments in the building, along with ground floor commercial space and underground parking. Metro provided the developers of The Merrick with financial assistance through the agency's Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) program. One primary purpose of the TOD program is to create higher density, mixed-use developments near transit stations that will increase transit ridership. Because of their involvement in the project, Metro wanted documentation of the transit use and travel patterns of Merrick residents. …

Incorporating Science Into The Environmental Policy Process: A Case Study From Washington State, Tessa B. Francis, Kara A. Whittaker, Vivek Shandas, April V. Mills, Jessica K. Graybill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The incorporation of science into environmental policy is a key concern at many levels of decision making. Various institutions have sought to standardize the protection of natural resources by requiring that decisions be made based on the "best available science." Here we present empirical data describing the incorporation of best available science in the land-use policy process on a local scale. Results are based on interviews with planners and others who conducted scientific reviews associated with a Washington State Growth Management Act amendment that requires the inclusion of best available science in protecting critical areas. Our results show that jurisdictions …

Helping Everyone Have Plenty: Addressing Distribution And Circulation In An Hours-Based Local Currency System, Jonathan Lepofsky, Lisa K. Bates

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper summarizes research conducted by the authors who served as the ad-hoc Disbursement Task Force created by NCPlenty, Inc., the non-profit managing agency for a local currency system in central North Carolina, USA. NCPlenty, Inc. began printing a scrip-based local currency called the PLENTY in October 2002. The PLENTY, or Piedmont Local EcoNomy Tender, is based on the Ithaca HOURS currency and has faced circulation and distribution issues similar to other HOURS-based systems in the US. While at the start of the PLENTY’s first year of circulation the number of participating individuals and businesses nearly doubled and a vibrant …

Planning A Sustainable Portland: A Digital Library For Local, Regional, And State Planning And Policy Documents, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper is intended as a guiding framework for the collection and digitizing program of the Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library (OSCDL). The document addresses the following issues: (1) Portland and Oregon as centers of innovative planning (2) The institutional context of planning (3) The types of planning documentation typically found (4) The definition and dimensions of sustainability (5) Issue areas and topics that are most significant and interesting for electronic access.

It then offers suggestions about priorities for digital archiving based on a historical interpretation of Portland’s key planning and policy accomplishments and its consequent planning "gems" that are …

First Annual Portland Metropolitan Region Transportation System Performance Report, Brian Gregor, Sonoko Endo, Christopher Michael Monsere, Jennifer Dill, Jacob Baglien

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our transportation system is a key ingredient in the economy, quality of life and urban fabric of the Portland metropolitan area. It has been stated in the past that it is not possible to manage our transportation system tomorrow unless we understand how it is performing today. In this spirit, the Portland State University Center for Transportation Studies has been working with regional and statewide partners to develop new capabilities to measure, monitor and track the performance of the transportation system in real time and using archived data sources. We believe that it is possible to leverage these disparate data …

Impacts And Issues Related To Proposed Changes In Oregon's Interstate Speed Limits, Final Report, Christopher Michael Monsere, Craig D. Newgard, Jennifer Dill, Anthony M. Rufolo, Elizabeth Wemple, Robert L. Bertini, Craig Milliken

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 2003 Oregon Legislature enacted revisions to the statutes governing maximum speed limits on interstate highways in Oregon (House Bill 2661). The legislature authorized a maximum posted speed of 70 miles per hour (mph) for passenger vehicles and 65 mph for heavy commercial vehicles (trucks) on interstate highways. Current maximums are 65 mph for passenger cars and 55 mph for trucks. Subsequently, the Oregon Transportation Commission required a report documenting the expected impacts to a wide range of policy issues. This report presents the results of a comprehensive literature review, analysis of existing data, and expert interpretation of this information …

Scrapping Old Cars, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examines the effectiveness of vehicle buy-back programs such as the Bay Area Quality Management District's vehicle buy-back program, the largest publicly-funded scrapping program in the country. Attempts to identify who participates in such programs, and what the effects of participation are on efforts to reduce the amount of pollution generated by older vehicles.

Falling Into History: The Imagined Wests Of Kim Stanley Robinson In The "Three Californias" And Mars Trilogies, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Analyzes Kim Stanley Robinson's two science fiction trilogies, the "Three Californias" trilogy '(Wild Shore, Gold Coast,' and 'Pacific Edge),' published during 1984 - 1990, and the Mars trilogy '(Red Mars, Green Mars,' and 'Blue Mars),' published during 1993 - 1996, to show how they incorporate themes of the complexity and contingency involved in settlement of the frontier associated with the "new Western history" of the 1980's - 1990's. The Mars trilogy co-opts the American West's status as a place of resource development when Robinson narrates the conquest of nature through technology. The Orange County trilogy explores, inter alia, intentional communities, …

Metro’S Regional Land Information System: The Virtual Key To Portland’S Growth Management Success, Gerrit Knapp, Richard Bolen, Ethan Seltzer

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Though metropolitan Portland, Oregon, has perhaps the best-known growth management program in the world, one of the most important elements of that system has been conspicuously overlooked: the regional land information system (RLIS). Since RLIS was developed in the late 1980s, it has played a critical role in the development of every significant plan, the evaluation of every key policy, and the formulation of every major development model. RLIS created conditions that enabled a sophisticated and now muchstudied approach to metropolitan growth management to emerge. In this paper, we discuss the development, use, and maintenance of RLIS, illustrating its importance …

Portland: Civic Culture And Civic Opportunity, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article assesses late-20th- and early-21st-century Portland, Oregon's distinctiveness as a city that supports education, environmental quality, and civic pride. Rated highly in such indicators as libraries, parks, voter turnout, and newspaper readership, Portland has enjoyed its reputation for having a high degree of "social capital" and civic activism. On the other hand, the quality of life has come at the expense of urban growth, weak labor unions, and a loss of local businesses taken over by national corporations. Its success, however, rests on strong public support for the community and a sense of pragmatism rather than ideology.

California Vehicle License Fees: Incidence And Equity, Jennifer Dill, Todd Mitchel Goldman, Martin Wachs

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most states tax the value of residents' motor vehicles. In recent political debates over the future of these levies, the relative effects of these taxes on different socioeconomic groups have been a prominent question. By linking data from the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey with estimates of vehicle values from consumer vehicle pricing guides, the socioeconomic and demographic incidence of California's Vehicle License Fee is examined. After the effects of state and federal income tax deductions are taken into account, the fee is found to be as regressive as the state's sales tax.

The International City Hypothesis: An Approach To The Recent History Of U.S. Cities, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Differentiates between the concepts of world cities and international cities, asserting that study of international cities offers greater opportunities for research and analysis of major urban regions of the latter 20th century. The world city model emphasizes hierarchy and status based on influence and power. The international city model emphasizes numerous indicators that demonstrate a broader range of international connections, including foreign tourists, new immigration, sister-city affiliations, and multinational corporation offices. They may function as production centers, gateway cities, or transactional cities. At present, statistical data are thin, and the topic invites research by urban historians.

The Portland Region: Where City And Suburbs Talk To Each Other ... And Sometimes Agree, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland, OR, is often cited as an example of successful regional governance and planning. The metropolitan area appears to match many of the precepts of the popular "compact city" model of urban growth and to demonstrate the capacity of local and state government to shape growing metropolitan regions. Given this reputation, it is important to evaluate the relevance of the Portland experience for other communities, distinguishing unique local circumstances form generalizable characteristics. This analysis explores the spatial character of metropolitan Portland in the 1990s, summarizes the politics of regional planning, examines weaknesses in the Portland approach, and offers suggestions for …

Thinking About Cities: The Central Tradition In U.S. Urban History, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Urban history in United States in the last 150 years has been concerned with two central questions. Historians of three generations focused on the process of urbanization and the problem of civic order in the cities. The historians of recent times emphasize on community formation as the determinant of economic growth and its general effect. Earlier scholars discussed the creation of communities and institutions and the correlation between urban and national development. Thus, interaction between city and citizen is a viable theme of urban history.

The Internationalization Of Washington, D.C., Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The globalization of U.S. cities is attracting increasing theoretical and empirical attention. The author analyzes internationally oriented activities in metropolitan Washington, D.C., and demonstrates that the city's international roles are built directly on its historic function as a national city. Focusing on change over time, the author also shows that globalization is a stepwise process: Several key periods of the expansion of international functions were followed by periods of gradual absorption. In comparative context, Washington supports arguments about the separability of international functions and shows the importance of historical development in determining the different ways in which cities interact with …

"Beautiful Downtown Burbank" : Changing Metropolitan Geography In The Modern West, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Focuses on the Western United States' leadership in city planning since World War II. Concepts of three competing ideas about the emerging form of decentralization or suburbanization; 'Urban realms'; 'Linear cities'; 'Go-board metropolis'; Opinion of historians and architectural experts; Illustration of several models for understanding the morphology of Western cities.

Planning The Oregon Way : A Twenty-Year Evaluation, Carl Abbott, Deborah A. Howe, Sy Adler

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Oregon's pioneering land use system is nationally recognized and serves as a valuable model and benchmark for other states. This volume examines the Oregon system, describes its strengths and weaknesses, and gives recommendations for the future.

The Politics Of Land-Use Law In Oregon: Senate Bill 100, Twenty Years After, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Describes the genesis of Oregon Senate Bill 100, 1973, and includes excerpts from a roundtable discussion by four men who were instrumental in creating the bill. The four men are Hector Macpherson, Ted Hallock, Stafford Hansel, and Henry Richmond. The bill called for an institutional structure for statewide land-use planning.

Five Downtown Strategies: Policy Discourse And Downtown Planning Since 1945, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Downtown planning since World War II has been based on constantly changing assumptions about the nature of central business districts. From 1945 to 1955, downtown was seen as the city's unitary center, and the focus of planning activity was the improvement of downtown access and circulation. Between 1955 and 1965, downtown became a declining activity center and failing real estate market; planners and business groups fought decline and competition from the suburbs through programs like urban renewal. In the decade after 1965, a reaction against urban renewal led to a new conception of downtown as a set of distinct functional …

The Urban West And The Twenty-First Century, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 1964 Oregon novelist Ken Kesey published Sometimes a Great Notion, the impassioned story of a fiercely (even pathologically) independent family of loggers on the southern Oregon coast. The novel is much admired by Oregonians, who read it as a tribute to the vanishing American pioneer. The urban West appears only by implication in the form of a fumbling labor organizer who longs to return to the civilized cities of California. My argument is that what we see is what we're going to get. That is, the coming decades are likely to see the American West continue to work through …

The Evolution Of Federal Transit Policy, Sy Adler

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examines how the US federal government came to subsidize a greater share of transit industry costs than most other national governments. Since World War II, downtown activists sought to boost their transit systems in the face of increasingly intense competition from suburban business centers; the transit systems of Los Angeles and San Francisco in particular were shaped by this competition. Downtown activists tried, with varying success, to influence the newly formed regional transit agencies and the Federal Department of Transportation, created in 1964. The federal government's role in urban transit has been characterized by a tension between economic rationalization and …