Nice video here at treehugger.com about Transit-Oriented Development or TOD. It's a video borrowed from Fast Company magazine, and details a bit of how Portland has become such a landmark for TOD enthusiasts and planners. For my readers in Kansas City, I think it's always interesting to think about Portland and compare it to our own city, or other cities in the Midwest of comparable size. In the 1970's, Portland was a smaller and by all means less-important city than KC. Starting then, they made a conscious series of decisions to embrace walkability, transit, and away from suburban sprawl. The results are impressive, to say the least. Today, Portland is a faster-growing region than KC, draws far more young people, and has a dynamic central city. It's done all this while being more efficient with public dollars and offering its citizens more options in how to get around. A great lesson for all of us.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/portland-transit-oriented-development.php
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