Car Free Cascadia!

Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square, courtesy of Wikipedia

The Oregonian published this great interview with Australian Professor, Peter Newman. He studies what he has dubbed, "car culture" in America and Australia. Here are a few excerpts:

Q: We have a $4 billion proposal to replace a six-lane highway bridge on Interstate 5 with a new bridge that would have six highway lanes, plus six auxiliary lanes. It would also extend light rail to the northern suburbs and have generous pedestrian facilities. It's been billed as having a little bit for everyone. Is that kind of project worth pursuing?

A: Four billion dollars is what you're going to need for building these transit lines and subcenters.

Keeping the traffic moving is what you have to stop doing. VMT (vehicle miles traveled) reductions are not going to be promoted by that bridge.

There will be a whole series of freeways taken down when they reach the end of thei life in cities around the world. The one in Seoul (South Korea) came down. Now it's a beautiful river, and a park with transit. The mayor who did it is now the president.

Q:What's the difference between a sustainable city and your latest term, a resilient city?

It's moving more directly into this climate change and oil agenda. In many ways, the sustainability word is being made to mean "green." But the agenda of oil and greenhouse gases -- the consumption of resources -- is about resilience in the city.

Resilience means you can have options so that we can achieve a 50 percent reduction in VMT, so that we've got capacity in the transit system, you've got destinations clos by that you can reach biking and walking, and if you need to use a car you don't need to go far.

Suburbs on the fringe built with all the certainty of the future are now very uncertain, because people living there sometimes have to spend 40 percent of their household budget on transport, and 40 percent is not sustainable.

If you're going from $3.50 a gallon gas to $6 a gallon, which is the price of fuel in Europe ... many of these suburbs will be abandoned. They are not resilient.

Q:Every month or so, another magazine names Portland the most sustainable city in America. They tend to cite the renewable energy we use, the commuters who don't drive to work and the number of green buildings. What should the next challenge be for us?

On those sustainability ratings, it comes out on top, and I would agree with that. But on a resilience rating, it's not. New York comes out on top.

There are whole regions of New York that are just as bad as Atlanta. But the core of Manhattan is very resilient. It's got enormous ability to take people other than by car.

Portland now needs to lead the way in the exponential decline in VMT, and there can be no complacency anymore in saying, "Well, we're already there."

Check out the whole interview with some videos here.

The Weekly Alternative

Deschutes River courtesy of Wikipedia

Its that wonderful time of week again. This time let's do South to North.

[The Guardian]: San Fran Politicians have unanimously backed a $185 million parks bond called Proposition A. While many hail this as a uniting environmental pursuit some question the sum of this project. Many argue that the $110 million bond passed in 2000 only helped for repairs and didn't do much for additional green space. As well, a recent analysis identified at least $1.7 billion worth of backlogged park needs which the $185 million could only begin to puncture. The bond needs a 66 percent voter approval in February to pass.

[Editor's note: I just wanted to draw a comparison to Seattle on this issue. While Seattle has about 250,000 people less than San Fran, it passed a $198 million Pro-Parks bond in 2000 and many hope to see that renewed if not increased in the next year or so.]

[The Source]: The City of Bend has seen significant financial troubles as homebuilding in the area continues to slow. Wrestling with a $2.7 million shortfall this year the city decided to lay-off Pat Kliewer, historic preservation planner for the city. Historic properties are abundant in Bend and its neighboring cities and some fear that this could change with Kliewer as a "watchdog".

[Eugene Weekly]: What's better Bus Rapid Trasit or Light Rail? Eugene politicians claim BRT but some citizens aren't buying it.

[Portland Mercury]: While Oregon was suppose to allow same-sex marriages starting January 2, recent events have complicated the process. A number of legal hearings, as well as number of rallies, are now scheduled through February about gay rights issues. In related news, Dan Savage has endorsed Sam Adams for Mayor of Portland.

[The Stranger]: Class issues in Seattle come to the front again as the City of Seattle denies commercial space in Sodo. While the city claims it is protecting industrial companies and, in turn, blue collar jobs, the concentration of industry in South Seattle means a much greater percent of air and water pollution in the area.

[The Inlander]: Apparently news takes a while to get over the mountains because Spokane still seems to think they are immune from the housing slump.

[Boise Weekly]: A nice little preview of 2008 Idaho politics.

[Monday Magazine]: Some Langford residents are upset by a loan taken out by the city from the Province of BC for nearly $25 million to fund a new overpass. Citizens claim that the overpass will only cater to specific upper-class developments, namely Bear Mountain, Totangi Forestry, and Goldstream Heights. Further, people are questioning the city's bylaws which allowed the decision without any public meetings. Activists hope to get enough citizens on board to block the loan and the overpass.

[The Georgia Straight]: Does BC save enough agricultural land? Provincers weigh in.

[Anchorage Press]: A few Anchorage residents are lobbying to get Alaska a law school. Currently it is the only state in the Union without this higher educational facility. As Alaskan oil interest is on the increase, Wally Hickel and Craig Agliatti feel that Alaskans need to be more educated about their state's legal rights, environmental issues, and concerns about native peoples.

The Weekly (almost) Alternative

Once again, a roundup from the Cascadian alternative newspapers...

[The Georgia Straight]: The Straight chastised a move by the Non-Partisan Association, with the help of the Vancouver City council, to spend public money on a private business program. The Downtown Ambassador's, who have been privately funded in the past, will now receive $872,000 annually for expanded security for downtown businesses. While the vote was close, Mayor Sam Sullivan has been called-out for casting the sixth and final vote needed for the measure to pass.

In other news, a new survey by Britain's Independent ranks Vancouver as the 27th greatest city in the world (fyi: other surveys have given Vancouver more bragging rights) (fyi2: The survey put London as numero uno, hmmm, perhaps not as independent as they claim.)

[Monday Magazine]: A new report that came out in December 2007 shows that pink salmon in Queen Charlotte Strait's Broughton Archipeligo have declined by 80% over the last four years and without any assistance, could be extinct in another four. The problem is sea lice, which can winter-over in fish farms and then be released onto small wild salmon, who don't have scales for protection. Alexandra Morton, co-author of the report says that the solution is easy: self-contained fish farms. Unfortunately, British Columbian politics could prevent this solution from becoming reality.

[Cascadia Weekly]: A dispute has erupted over the use of the "Black Forest Steak House" name as Herb Niemann running the so-named restraunt in Everson has sued his brother Jack Niemann who recently opened up an establishment in Bellingham. The court is currently deciding the legality and ownership of the title. While British Columbia, the home of "Black Forest" Restaurants, operates dozens of places by this name, apparently Whatcom County is too small for more than one.

[Boise Weekly]: This generally red state has something new this election season, a loud and proud Obama presence. Like Ron Paul supporters throughout the rest of the country, Idaho has seen a huge presence of Obama supporters throughout the state, engaging and encouraging people to pick the young black candidate. While Idaho may not be a swing state, Obamania may be a cultural shift for the potato lovers.

[The Inlander]: The Spokane City Hall reopened with the Mayor's office and the City Councillors moved to the same floor. This symbolic act will hopefully make communication better and work more efficient for the eastside city. Affordable housing is one of the major issues for 2008 and Mayor Mary Verner is trying to recruit Gov. Gregoire for the task.

[Seattle Weekly]: Bremerton and Bainbridge Island, while only seperated by a mile of water, are increasingly divided. As Bainbridge becomes a rich suburb of Seattle, with consistent and fast ferry service, Bremerton remains distinctly blue collar, with a sparse and slow ferry to the metropolitan area. A bridge between the two areas could help solve differences but the idea has been constantly rejected and looks to have no chance in sight.

[The Stranger]: Charles Mudede finds blasphemy in the new Bellevue City Hall. Built by SRG Partnership, based in Portland, the building has recieved much admiration and recognition from the American Institute of Architects. At the same time, Seattle's City Hall was a flop. Bellevue, home of shopping malls and chain stores, should never best Seattle in any cultural competition, claims Mudede. Perhaps Bellevue is starting to form its own identity apart from the Emerald City.

[Portland Mercury]: Oregonian righties are trying to prevent a new gay rights bill from becoming law in the new year. The bill, which takes effect this week, will allow gay couples to recieve the same rights as married couples for a mere $60. But a conglomeration of anti-gay activists have petitioned the state to put the bill on the November 2008 ballot with 62,000 signatures. But the Secretary of State determined that only 55,063 of those signatures were valid, 116 shy of the necessary amount.

[Willamette Weekly]: Longtime Portland City Councilmen Eric Sten will resign midterm this year after 11 years of vigilant service. Sten is best known for his accomplishments in affordable housing and decreasing homelessness in the Rose City. Of course, he also had his losses. After many years of battling PGE he failed to acquire PGE for the city, even after it fleeced ratepayers of nearly $1 billion. He did get PGE to agree to two dam demolitions. The first one took place last fall and was the first dam to be demolished in Oregon in over 40 years. Sten has not announced any future plans.