When Oregon legislators passed a transportation bill in 2009, much of the public's attention was focused on its promise of newer, faster highways across the state.
But a bill that earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars to make driving in Oregon easier had another goal – a requirement that the Portland region figure out how to reduce tailpipe emissions.
Four years later, regional policymakers are full throttle in trying to figure out how to answer Salem's call, and cut carbon dioxide emissions from cars, vans, pickups and SUVs.
Climate Futures series
As Metro's planning staff looks at ways to address a state mandate to reduce tailpipe emissions in the Portland region, Metro News has been digging into some of the 144 ideas under study. Our goal is to paint a picture of what the Portland region could look like if any of those scenarios are adopted.
Please note that Metro planning staff is not responsible for this content. Comments on the content should be directed to Metro News at 503-813-7583 or [email protected].
As Metro's planning staff looks at ways to address a state mandate to reduce tailpipe emissions in the Portland region, Metro's communications staff has been digging into some of the 144 ideas under study.
That almost certainly will involve, to some degree, getting people out of their cars – not necessarily in convincing people to drive less, but to make it so driving is less of a necessity in parts of the region.
There's good news and bad in this quest. On the upside, only a sliver of the population will have to find another way to get around, and there are plans in place to help them do it.
Making the task more daunting, though, is the basic fact that American culture – even in the Portland region – is inexorably tied to the automobile.
In a way, Metro's Climate Smart Communities program – the project aimed at addressing the tailpipe emissions reduction requirement – is charged with addressing a paradox.
Time after time, cities around the region have embraced the vision of the walkable community – a return to early 20th Century urban design, with small businesses and homes mixed together in business districts. It's reflected in almost all of the cities' plans, and the concept polls well.
But 17 out of every 20 times the region's residents decide to go somewhere, they choose to get in a car to make the trip.
"My district is mostly suburban. It's very likely most of it's going to stay that way for a very long time. We need to make our assumptions that certain areas are going to remain very car oriented, by choice," said Craig Dirksen, who represents south Washington County on the Metro Council, at a meeting earlier this year.
The Portland region has the bones of a climate-friendly place. Its streetcar and trolley suburbs, from Sellwood to Orenco to Gresham, left the basic infrastructure in place for environmentally-friendly communities to pop up all over the Portland region.
The vision of sidewalk cafés, neighborhood groceries and second-floor apartments clustered among the collection of single-family homes was at the front of the minds of the region's leaders in the 1990s, as they worked to devise a region-wide development plan called the 2040 Growth Concept. Local elected officials and residents of the communities of the Portland region gave Metro a path for how they saw themselves growing in the coming decades, with a clear image of walkable, livable communities.
Their aim, at that time, was to protect the farms, forests and natural areas surrounding the region, improve air quality, build walkable communities and expand travel options for the region’s residents. Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change were not part of the conversation.
That path has a map, showing wide swathes of suburbs painted light yellow, existing areas of single-family housing, cul-de-sacs and two-car garages that will largely remain intact. It's a safe sell for developers, and a traditional vision for most of the West Coast.
But look at the 2040 Growth Concept map, and you'll see spots of purple scattered amid the sea of neighborhoods. Those town and regional centers are more in line with the way we think about small communities – thriving downtowns and Main Streets, small, locally-owned businesses that serve nearby neighborhoods and housing served by frequent and reliable transit.
The good news is that the efforts to implement the 2040 Growth Concept are paying off – and will provide a strong foundation for meeting the state greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements. This region already drives 20 percent fewer miles every day than people in other regions.
Metro Councilor Bob Stacey says the key to reaching the region's climate goals is this: The economy will continue to grow while people will drive less.
Stacey was a key force behind the tailpipe emission reduction strategy in the 2009 transportation bill. He said the idea was to use land use pattern and transportation choices to reduce reliance on the car and reduce the length of trips.
"If there are more services and mixed uses in walking distance of neighborhoods, people can make the choice to not get in the car or to drive the short distance to a neighborhood center instead of all the way across town," he said.
At the time, Stacey was the director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, a land conservation advocacy group. He says he's hopeful the Portland region can demonstrate that without harming its economy, or entering the pocketbooks of families, it can achieve a quality of life that has global implications.
"If a modern, economically successful North American community can sustain its growth while meeting a greenhouse gas target that seems remarkable – 75 percent below 1990 levels – that's a signal to China that, besides not burning as much coal, they can look at different models of community growth," Stacey said.
It's unclear just how much people will have to drive less to reach the climate smart goals. But Metro and the Legislature aren't the only groups clamoring for change. The City Club of Portland recently called for the region to improve its air quality. And communities around the region are using tools like urban renewal to improve their local economies.
The goal of the project is to create one preferred scenario by December 2014 that will help create great communities, support the region’s economy and achieve the state goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This summer, project staff will look at three ways in which to meet what the state has called for, and report back to policy makers next fall – kicking off the third and final phase of the project and a public discussion on what strategies best support community visions and reduce emissions.
Working together, cities, counties and regional partners will decide which elements from each of the three approaches should go forward into one preferred approach for the region to adopt – considering implementation costs and benefits across public health, environmental, economic and social equity outcomes, financial implications, public support and feasibility.
If the Climate Smart Communities Scenarios Project is successful, though, the region's residents are unlikely to notice the changes they're making to reduce tailpipe emissions. They'll shop and work closer to home – and decrease their driving – because it's a better option, not because they're priced out of driving further.
The question for the region's policymakers, in the coming year and a half, is how much an improved economy can help people drive less, and how best to make that happen recognizing that it will take a combination of local approaches to create a diverse yet shared vision of how to make this region a great place for generations to come.