If the thought of fast, frequent bus service makes your heart go pitter-pat; or if a five-story housing development above a transit stop gives you goosebumps, I have some good news: A major urban planning and transportation conference is coming back to Portland. Mpact Transit + Community, formerly known as Rail~Volution, will be four days of panel discussions, speeches, networking, and and mobile workshops devoted to making cities work better. It all happens in venues throughout Portland from October 26th to 29th.
Portland hosted the first Mpact in 1995 (and again in 1998 and 2010) when it was spearheaded by retired U.S. Congressman (and then city commissioner) Earl Blumenauer. It was 10 years after Portland’s first MAX light rail line and Blumenauer wanted to bring transit and land use advocates and insiders together to make sure the system got its first extension (which opened two years after the conference).
Mpact coming home to Portland for the first time in 1is just the latest sign of a renaissance in a city once known (thanks in large part to the aforementioned congressman) as America’s epicenter of urbanism and livable city policies.
“The 2025 conference arrives at a time when cities and transit agencies everywhere are grappling with challenges related to funding, the evolving role of downtowns and the necessity for diverse housing options,” reads the Mpact website. “As it has since its inception, the conference will highlight the interplay of multimodal transportation, housing, and economic development in creating vibrant places for everyone to live.”
Metro Council President Lynn Peterson was at that first Rail~Volution. “So much of what we envisioned 30 years ago has come to fruition here in Portland,” she said in an official statement about the event. “Our region is again at an inflection point. It is a time for big ideas and a bold vision.”
Peterson is right. Portland’s new form of government and the ongoing destruction of the federal government by the Trump regime, presents an opportunity to think differently about the future of mobility in our city.
If you are fluent in BRT, TOD, TSP, and LRT, and/or just care about transit, cycling, housing, land use — or any facet of transportation and urban planning — you should find a way to participate in this conference. The schedule is packed with interesting topics, speakers, and workshops — from trails in Forest Park, to transit-oriented development (TOD) in East Portland. It all kicks off with a welcome reception at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry on Sunday, October 26th.
Check this PDF for a quick guide to the schedule, check out the event website for all the information, and stay tuned for coverage.
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