March 12, 2010

Rail~Volution is Coming!

The annual Rail~Volution conference, founded in Portland, is coming back home this year from October 18-21.

Would you like to contribute to a conference presentation? The call for proposals is out:

Rail~Volution is a conference for passionate practitioners - people from all perspectives who believe in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities.

Never before has Rail~Volution's mission of building livable communities with transit aligned so perfectly with the federal agenda. Thanks to President Obama's commitment to creating sustainable communities, we truly have the opportunity to work in partnership with policy makers at all levels to grow more livable places -- regardless of their size, shape, demographics, locations, or economies. These ground-breaking partnerships are setting the stage for the next decade at all levels, with commitments to transit resources, renewable energy, climate change, and sustainable housing and communities.

The success of the conference depends on the quality and diversity of presentations. Help enliven the discussion! Give us your ideas now!

Proposal Deadline: March 31, 2010.

This year's program includes three conference tracks, each with suggested topics for discussion. We are asking that you identify the track that best fits your proposal ideas.
The 2010 Conference tracks are:

• Core Sessions: An in-depth introduction to the principles that are the foundation for creating livable communities that respond to our economic, energy and environmental challenges.
  
• Livable Communities: Strategies for planning and financing livable communities in the next real estate cycle, with the goal of enhancing transit ridership and creating neighborhoods that meet the needs of today's changing society.
  
• Partnering for Sustainable Communities: A discussion of the power of partnerships to create and sustain economically vibrant, environmentally responsible, and socially diverse communities for future generations.
  

Please visit www.railvolution.com/CallForProposals.asp to submit a proposal.

For information on sponsorships or the conference's trade show, please call 800.788.7077 or email convene@aol.com.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:37 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Keep the Pressure on: CRC Project Sponsors Meeting Today

Coalition for a Livable Future would like you to show up: Show your opposition to the CRC at the Project Sponsors Council Meeting - Friday, March 12th from Stop the CRC! and Coalition for a Livable Future Grassroots coalition Stop...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:30 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

March 11, 2010

CRC Battle Lines Firming Up: Local Leaders and Enviros vs. Govs and DOTs

A group of local environmental organizations issued a letter today critical of the response from Governors Kulongoski and Gregoire to the request of local leaders to have more control of the Columbia River Crossing project: March 10, 2010 Dear Governors...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:29 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink

March 10, 2010

A Good Week for Bikes

On multiple fronts: Multnomah County is finally ready to open the new bike path on the Morrison Bridge Google Maps has added bicycle directions - try it! Actually, my first attempt with Google was a little rocky. I asked it...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:21 AM | Comments (10) | Permalink

March 8, 2010

Updated: Portland Streetcar Awarded $23M in TIGER Funds

Update: 3/9/10 In the comments to this post I was asked if the grant was for the entire Innovation Quadrant program, or if it applied to the Moody component only. I learned last week that in fact the grant amount...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:07 AM | Comments (38) | Permalink

March 5, 2010

Act on ACT Act

Pun intended. I'm a bit slow to the party on this. The BTA already has a post up about Earl Blumenauer's Active Community Transportation Act. I encourage you to follow their lead on supporting this bill that would set aside...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:40 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 4, 2010

Transit Good for your Mortgage?

Passed on by a reader from of all places "autoblog"....

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:28 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

March 3, 2010

KBOO Bike Show: Family Cycling

Listen to the show (mp3, 27.1MB) Our guests share how they've mastered the fine art of carting toddlers around, riding with elderly parents, and juggling work, school, errands, soccer practice, and even long distance travel by bike....

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:18 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

The Question I Plan to Ask at City Club Tonight

Tonight, City Club is hosting a discussion of their new report, "Moving Forward: A Better Way to Govern Regional Transportation." (PDF, 5.5M) [5:30pm at the Club offices, 901 SW Washington] There's one recommendation that has generated a bit of controversy:...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:44 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

March 2, 2010

Open Thread for March 2010

Following our new practice, we'll open a new thread for your thoughts each month. What's on your mind?...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 9:08 AM | Comments (57) | Permalink

Adapting Our Transportation System to Climate Change

Portland State University Center for Transportation Studies Winter 2010 Transportation Seminar Series Speaker: Ashley Haire, PhD, Senior Research Associate, Civil Engineering, PSU Topic: Adapting Our Transportation System to Climate Change When: Friday, March 5, 2010, 12:00 - 1:00pm Where: PSU...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:40 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

March 1, 2010

How City Club Would Flow the Money

Last week I wrote about the new City Club report (PDF 5.5M) on transportation governance. I'd like to dig in a little deeper this week, starting with finances. Excerpted from the report is this chart showing how transportation dollars flow...

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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:47 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink