Cascadia Report

Category: Portland

  • Build rail transit to help the environment

    Here’s another reason to invest in rail transit along the I-5 corridor from Vancouver to Portland: the environment.

    Of course it will cost billions, but we should begin the process with the money we have amassed in recent years. If we don’t, we’ll never be able to afford it. Ticket revenue would defray a portion of the cost, and productivity gains will help offset the cost.

    If we add tolls along the corridor based on the amount of car traffic, the economics of a rail alternative would improve even more.

  • New push for alternative energy in Oregon

    Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski called for a cap on carbon dioxide emissions and creation of a trading system designed to reduce the state’s output. He said the proposals would stimulate business in the state:

    “You know we’ve turned a corner when Wall Street banks are telling you that investments in renewable energy and other technologies to combat global warming are among the largest economic opportunities now and in the coming decades,” he said.

    Electricity production reportedly accounts for 42 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Kulongoski would have a task force propose details of a cap-and-trade system while he advances bills to promote biofuels and require a quarter of Oregon’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2025.

  • Tolls may not be enough

    Tolls wouldn’t generate enough revenue to cover the costs of a new road near Portland, according to a new study. The results suggests that tolls won’t work if there are feasible alternative routes or if the tolls are too high.

  • Timber mills getting into alternative energy business

    Timber companies are burning wood waste to produce energy, taking advantage of high power costs and tax incentives designed to encourage alternatives to fossil fuels.

    Since Congress reauthorized a federal energy production tax credit for biomass, solar and wind power last month, at least three mills in Oregon are advancing biomass energy projects, according to the AP.

  • Report: Cascadia cities among the world’s costliest

    A new report says Cascadia’s cities are among the world’s least affordable, with Vancouver ranked 13th worst, Victoria 23rd, Seattle 36th and Portland 60th.

    VancouverThe report, by research firm Demographia, focuses on the ratio of home prices to income. It rightly notes the imbalance between supply and demand, but dismisses the role of interest rates and robust local economies.

    Another oversight: It doesn’t mention the cost of transportation, which makes big cities such as New York and Tokyo less prohibitive than the report suggests. If transit options in Cascadia enabled the average family of four to live with one car instead of two, saving at least $400 per month, even pricey housing would be more affordable.

    The report says land-use rules are the biggest culprit:

    Various planning strategies have driven up the price of housing, such as land rationing (urban growth boundaries and infill requirements), extravagant amenity requirements, excessively high infrastructure fees and approval processes that are unnecessarily lengthy and complicated.

  • Portland wants more flexible growth rules

    The Portland-area’s regional government is asking the state for more flexibility in growth rules in order to cope with the continuing increase in population. It’s tempting to think that more flexibility sooner may have helped prevent the backlash against growth-management rules.

    Here’s what Metro wants:

    More time to choose the next batch of communities. New ways to raise money for roads, sewers, schools and other essentials. And the ability to line up land for future development while permanently protecting the best farming areas.

  • Venture funding climbs to post-2001 high

    Venture capital funding of businesses in Washington rose 29 percent last year to the highest level since the tech bubble in 2001. Roughly 100 companies raised about $1 billion last year.

    Total funding rose nationwide too — by more than 8 percent. But, in Oregon, funding dropped 39 percent to $111 million.

  • Urge to speak shows the politics of Cascadia

    It’s speech-giving season — Cascadia’s city politicians included. The way they handle themselves shows differences in the region’s politics.

    podium; by miwoodproducts.comPresident Bush gives his State of the Union next week and Canada has its throne speeches. Now Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, capitalizing on a centralized local government, has adopted the tradition by giving the first such speech by the city’s mayor that anyone can remember.

    Portland Mayor Tom Potter used his address to outline a long-term vision for the city. The speech was well received so Willamette Week added a small bit of controversy by asking popular former mayor Vera Katz what she would say. The result? A call for more specifics and support for charter revisions that would streamline city government and make planning decisions easier.

    Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels hasn’t scheduled his speech yet. But it’s already been upstaged by members of the city council, who are elected citywide and consider themselves mini-mayors — a structure that hamstrings decision making. This year they even decided to make mini “State of the City” speeches highlighting their goals for 2007.

  • Comcast to charge more for cable TV

    Comcast is raising fees for cable TV in the Portland area by 4 percent, a move it says is needed to cover investments to improve service. It isn’t charging more for Internet or telephone service, markets where it faces competition.

    In the Portland area, the cost of Comcast’s standard service has increased every year for the past decade at several times the rate of inflation, according to the Oregonian. Satellite and fiber-optic systems are still too small to compete, said David Olson, director of the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission.

    With the latest rate increase, Olson said the cost of standard cable has ballooned 117 percent from a decade ago, when Congress deregulated most price controls over the cable industry under the provisions of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. General consumer prices in the Western United States increased about 33 percent over the same period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • Portland’s mayor puts focus on long-term city plan

    Portland’s popular mayor, Tom Potter, appears to be betting his term on a project to create a 20-year strategic plan for the city. Creating this kind of long-term plan for the future is exactly what top leaders should do.

    Some residents question whether the vision is as important as fixing immediate problems like potholes, according to The Oregonian:

    “It’s almost like we’re concentrating on the people who are moving here more than the people who are here now,” said Bonny McKnight, an East Portland neighborhood activist.

    The obvious alternative is city planning by the most vocal current residents, who often have more stake in preserving the status quo. If top leaders don’t plan for future residents, who will?