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Portland Neighborhoods Impacted By The Push To Reduce Cars On The Road

by | Mar 28, 2013 | Living Urban

Portland Neighborhoods Impacted By The Push To Reduce Cars On The Road

Portland is really pushing to reduce the amount of cars on the road.  Providing alternate options like Biking, Light-rail, Streetcar, etc.  From a Real Estate perspective, the neighborhoods impacted by the new infrastructure will appreciate at notable rates.   Walkable Portland neighborhoods are not just exclusive to the urban core.  Areas like Orenco Station, Progress Ridge, and Villebois are seeing tremendous amounts of insulation towards value and a steeper curve on rebounded values.

Oregon wants you to drive less, and Metro has to make that happen.

The state’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are believed to contribute to climate change. Metro, the regional government that includes Portland is required to present its plan to the 2015 Legislature. The cities and counties within Metro are expected to adopt it.

As part of the planning process, Metro is considering many ideas to encourage you to reduce your driving. They include increasing the cost of driving, making transit more convenient, building more bike and walking paths, and encouraging you to live closer to where you work and shop.

“We can reduce our carbon footprint without punishing ourselves. It can be a win-win,” says Metro District 6 Councilor Bob Stacey, who represents portions of Northeast, Southeast and Southwest Portland.

Metro District 5 Councilor Sam Chase, who also represents parts of Portland, agrees.

“I want to live in a region that’s doing everything it can to reduce global warming and make communities healthier and better places to live, and that’s what the Climate Smart Communities project is all about,” says Chase, whose district includes Northwest and North Portland, portions of Southwest and Northeast Portland, plus the city of Maywood Park and part of Washington County.

Examples abound in Portland, which has embraced Smart Growth high-density planning concepts for years. They include the Portland Streetcar that connects Northwest Portland and the Pearl District to downtown, Portland State University and South Waterfront. It eliminates the need for automobiles for many trips and has encouraged new mixed-use developments. The streetcar also will connect with the TriMet’s new MAX line in South Waterfont and near OMSI in the future.

Metro is planning to publicly discuss the current Climate Smart Communities research in May. The discussions will take place at two standing advisory committee meetings that include elected officials from throughout the region, the Metro Policy Advisory Committee and the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation. They will make recommendations to the seven-member elected Metro Council, which will decide where to focus the research.

Metro wants to hear from you before that decision is made. It will be conducting an online survey on the issues and ideas under discussion in the first week of April. The results will be presented at the advisory committee meetings and and to the council. Metro has used such Opt In surveys in the past to measure public opinion on issues ranging from neighborhood satisfaction to maintaining its parks and natural lands.

You can register and take the survey at climatesmartsurvey.com.

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Source: Portland Tribune