Portland
Because of its public transportation networks and efficient land-use planning, Portland has been recognized as one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the world. W
Portland community action
Community involvement
Opt In, Metro's online opinion panel. "Contribute your ideas about schools, housing, sustainability, parks, community centers, clean drinking water and more."
Cycling activism
Bike sharing for all with Adaptive Biketown
Biking has become a way of life in Portland and many other cities around the world. Riders enjoy reduced transit costs, health benefits, and social opportunities. In most cities, however, these benefits are only accessible for those who can ride traditional bikes, or the physically disabled who can afford special bikes. In Portland, riders lobbied the city government to think about disabled riders in designing a bike-sharing system.
The city will eventually offer adaptive bikes for the physically disabled as part of the 1,000-bike and 100-station bike sharing system that launched in July 2016. The city first conducted a series of interviews with disabled riders to understand their needs. They found that, in addition to needing a variety of adaptive bikes, disabled riders often required storage options for wheelchairs and assistance at bike share stations. Adaptive bikes are designed to fit the needs of individual riders. Some are designed with three wheels to accommodate riders who have trouble balancing. Others are heavy duty to accommodate larger riders or offer hand pedals for riders with limited or no lower body mobility. During the interviews, officials discovered that disabled riders were looking to ride for exercise and recreation, so it is crucial to offer more adaptive bikes and services near trails, rather than at commuter bike stations.
The adaptive bike program was scheduled to roll out in June, 2017. The city is holding or has held educational events, such as the adaptive bike clinic, and providing scholarships for biking classes, to ensure more people can enjoy the benefits of the forthcoming bike-sharing facilities. [1]
Learn more from:
Adaptive Bicycle Rental Pilot Project News story covering the policy
Other links
PortlandWiki: Bicycling
Bicycle use in Portland, Oregon has been growing rapidly, having nearly tripled since 2001; for example, bicycle traffic on four of the Willamette River bridges has increased from 2,855 before 1992 to over 16,000 in 2008, partly due to improved facilities. The Portland Bureau of Transportation says 6% of commuters bike to work in Portland, the highest proportion of any major U.S. city and about 10 times the national average.
Due to its urban bicycling efforts, Portland has earned multiple "bicycle-friendly city" awards, including being awarded platinum status by the League of American Bicyclists, and it ranked second in the CNBC's 2019 most bicycle-friendly cities in the US.
In July 2016, Portland launched a bike share program, named "Biketown" because of a naming rights deal with Nike, with 1,000 bikes and 100 stations. It is operated by Motivate. The new system logged more than 100,000 rides in its first two months of operation.
Environment quality
Verde, bridging the green divide
Food activism
Kitchen Share: A Sustainable Community Resource for Home Cooks
Kitchen appliances can be superfluous uses of money and cupboard space, especially for city residents with tight budgets and small homes. Yet interest in healthy eating is growing. More people are trying out unusual food preparation techniques, which can require unique appliances. Kitchen Share, launched in 2012, is a kitchen tool-lending library for home cooks in Portland, Oregon. It enables community members to borrow a wide variety of kitchen appliances such as dehydrators, mixers, and juicers. Members can check out over 400 items online using affordable lending library software from myTurn. With two locations in Portland, Kitchen Share helps residents save money, learn new skills from neighbors, and reduce their environmental footprint. As a nonprofit community resource for home cooks, Kitchen Share only asks for a one-time donation upon joining, providing affordable access to otherwise expensive and bulky items while building a more resource-efficient city. Learn about starting a lending library with this toolkit.—Marion Weymes [2]
Other links
Eat Here by Edible Portland - Farm My Yard
Open spaces
Wikipedia:
- Portland, Parks and gardens: In 1995, voters in the Portland metropolitan region passed a regional bond measure to acquire valuable natural areas for fish, wildlife, and people. Ten years later, more than 8,100 acres (33 km2) of ecologically valuable natural areas had been purchased and permanently protected from development. Portland's city park system has been proclaimed one of the best in America. In its 2013 ParkScore ranking, The Trust for Public Land reported that Portland had the 7th best park system among the 50 most populous U.S. cities. The survey revealed that 80% of Portlanders live within a half-mile to a park and over 16% of Portland's city area is parkland.
Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
Free Geek, non-profit organization started in Portland, Oregon in 2000. Free Geek has two central goals: to reuse or recycle used computer equipment that might otherwise become hazardous waste, and to make computer technology more accessible to those who lack financial means or technical knowledge.
Free Geek's refurbished computers are either granted to schools, churches, non-profit or community change organizations, given to volunteers, or sold in Free Geek's thrift store. W
Sharing
Maps: Share Portland, OR
Sustainable transport activism
TriMet, public transit in the Portland Area
Wikipedia:
- Portland, car sharing: Portlanders living downtown or in nearby neighborhoods have car sharing as an alternative, through Zipcar, which acquired Flexcar in 2007. As of 2005,[dated info] there are over 5,000 members sharing 70 vehicles which are located in neighborhoods such as the Pearl District, Old Town Chinatown, the Lloyd District, Hawthorne, and Brooklyn.
- Portland, walking: According to a city video, in 1994 Portland became the first city to develop a pedestrian master plan. Blocks in the downtown area are only 200 feet (61 m) long. Many streets in the outer southwest section of the city lack sidewalks; however, this is partially made up with various off-street trails. A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Portland the 12th most walkable of the fifty largest cities in the United States.
Urban sustainability
City Repair, street painting examples
Depave, asphalt and concrete removal from urban areas. Based in Portland, Oregon
Resources
- Planning and Sustainability, City of Portland
Apps for sustainability
Arts and culture: Public Art PDX, free app showcasing the rich and diverse collection of Public Art on display in and around Portland
Sustainable transport: TriMet App Center
Urban sustainability: Map App, City of Portland
Community resources
- Proud Ground, the Northwest's largest community land trust, serving the Portland Metropolitan area
News and comment
2017
The Future of Portland’s Skyline Is Made of Wood. Yes, Wood. Mar 20 [3]
2016
Portland votes to ban fossil fuel projects to fight climate change, Dec 15 [4]
Portland is first U.S. city to make protection the default for all new bike lanes, January 28 [5]
2015
This Northwest City Just Passed The Strongest Resolution Against Fossil Fuels In The Country, November 13 [6]
How an inspiring group of women built one of the greenest buildings in Portland, August 17 [7]
Events
- Pedalpalooza is an annual festival with hundreds of community-organized free bike events. W shift2bikes.org
2017
Apr 6 Transformation — A Celebration of Depave
2016
2014
May 23 - June 1 Village Building Convergence
Interwiki links
PortlandWiki, Portland's civic wiki
Wikipedia: Portland, Oregon