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Portland Mayor Tom Potter has released a long-awaited report on his VisionPDX project. The 16 page report shares some of the results of the project’s “conversations with the community,” and is billed as a “brief sketch of what’s important to Portlanders.”
Naturally I was curious if it contained anything about bicycles and/or transportation. Here’s what I found.
The report is broken down into the following “five elements of Portland”:
- Built Portland
- Economic Portland
- Learning Portland
- Natural Portland
- Social Portland
The Built Portland section deals with transportation. It includes the following example quotes as “voices from the community”:
“I hope Portland will have fewer cars on the road. I hope there will be more community gardens for people to raise their own food. I hope new building projects are green projects and I hope Portland resists suburban sprawl.”
“I love that I can live in a neighborhood where I can walk or bike to the store, feel safe and get to know my neighbors (residential and commercial) well enough that I can create a community for myself.”
The Built Portland page also had the following statement, which is described as an “example goal for Built Portland”:
“By 2030, Portland has “complete communities” in many parts of the city, allowing people to obtain daily goods and services within walking distance from home.”
At the end of this section was a few paragraphs dealing with challenges:
“How will we ensure accessible and convenient transportation options for all while promoting sustainability? Many Portland residents value the city’s diverse transportation options not only because they are accessible and convenient, but also because they allow us to live with fewer environmental impacts. There is a strong commitment to promote public transit, bicycles, and walking as more sustainable transportation choices.
However, a few would prefer more investment in roads, highways and parking to move people and freight into and out of our city. In the face of population growth and development, we face a challenge to meet all transportation needs sufficiently and sustainably. How will we balance diverse needs, interests and community values as we make choices regarding development?”
[Download the full PDF of this report.]
This report shows that the citizens of Portland value livable, bike-able neighborhoods.
When it’s all over, the Mayor will have devoted millions of dollars to this visioning process. Will it have the policy teeth to enact real change? Or will it be just another process, without the follow-up it takes to move from a vision to a reality?