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Southwest Charter School audio reports

Planning and conservation  ›  Transportation and land use projects  ›  Lake Oswego to Portland transit  ›  Southwest Charter School audio reports

Find streaming audio reports from students of Southwest Charter School, who are using the Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement as a starting point to learn about the history and future of streetcars in the region.

Using the Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement as a launching point, students of Southwest Charter School produced a series of streaming audio reports through the school year, learning and sharing the technical and artistic skills needed for audio program development and production.

Research included meeting with volunteers of the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society, employees of United Streetcar and broadcasters from Oregon Public Broadcasting. The students then wrote and recorded audio skits to entertain and educate others.

A crash course in transportation modeling

The students tackle the complicated world of transportation modeling in their third audio report, creating sketches to illustrate the four stages: trip generation, trip distribution, mode choice and route choice.

Listen to the third audio report

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Transcripts of the audio report have been separated into four chapters.

• Chapter 1 [at 0:00]: Trip generation (51K PDF)
• Chapter 2 [at 4:05]: Trip distribution (49K PDF)
• Chapter 3 [at 6:23]: Mode choice (49K PDF)
• Chapter 4: Route choices (51K PDF)

Find out more about the four-step transportation model

Transportation modeling is an essential component of planning for regional infrastructure improvements, such as highway and transit projects. The process of travel demand forecasting uses what we know about the existing world to predict what conditions will be like in the future.
Download the PDF

Made in Oregon: United Streetcar

In a series of funny, informative, entertaining skits – and songs! – the students use their second audio report to teach all about United Streetcar, the only streetcar manufacturer in the United States.

Listen to the second audio report

Visit PodOmatic.com to subscribe to the podcast

Transcripts of the audio report have been separated into four chapters.

• Chapter 1 [at 0:00]: History of United Streetcar and Oregon Iron Works (52K PDF)
• Chapter 2 [at 3:47]: Tour of United Streetcar (49K PDF)
• Chapter 3 [at 5:47]: Physical facts of streetcars (50K PDF)
• Chapter 4 [at 9:54]: Update from Streetcar Central (50K PDF)

The history of Portland streetcars

The middle school students wrote and performed skits for their first audio report, sharing their research and perspective on the history of trolleys and streetcars in the region and the Willamette Shore Line right of way.

Listen to the first audio report

Visit PodOmatic.com to subscribe to the podcast

Transcripts of the audio report have been separated into four chapters.

• Chapter 1 [at 0:00]: The first Portland streetcar (54K PDF)
• Chapter 2 [at 4:31]: Streetcar chat about accidents (51K PDF)
• Chapter 3 [at 7:21]: The history of the Willamette Shore Line (277K PDF)
• Chapter 4 [at 11:09]: The decline and return of the Portland streetcar (464K PDF)

About Southwest Charter School

Located in and serving Southwest Portland, Southwest Charter School encourages exploration of the natural world and involvement in the local community through the arts and sciences. Visit the school's site

Related Internet links

• Southwest Charter School

  (http://www.swcharter.org/)