We all want great communities where our children can safely walk to school, where the elderly and infirm have sufficient transportation options to attend medical appointments, where workers can afford their commute, and where our global warming impact is small. 

Unfortunately, nearly 50% of our state highways through our cities lack sidewalks (not to mention other streets), 25% of Oregonians cannot drive, gasoline prices continue to rise, and the transportation system contributes more than a third of Oregon’s global warming pollution.

The solution is to plan our cities to be better places to live.  By connecting the way we travel to where we live, our local governments can help build great cities. Cities where you can walk to the local grocery store. Where kids can walk to the local park. Where seniors and the disabled can ride on buses and light rail to visit friends and family. Where more employees and customers can arrive to work and shops by less expensive means.  And where we drive less and pollute fewer greenhouse gases.

These towns and neighborhoods will be focused on friendly streets and sidewalks – like Joseph in Eastern Oregon or the Pearl District in Portland – and they will be connected to other towns and neighborhoods by buses, streetcars, light rail, and freight rail.  Each town and city will continue to highlight its own unique personality based on each community’s decisions.

Right now, we have a unique opportunity. The 2009 Oregon Legislature created the "Metropolitan Planning Organization Greenhouse Gas Emissions Task Force." A contender for the worst named group in the history of government, this governor-appointed task force of legislators and local, special interest, and public interest stakeholders will meet four times this fall to propose a bill to the February 2010 legislative session.  Their policy recommendation will be critical to Oregon communities' ability to plan more people-friendly and carbon-free cities and neighborhoods.  It will be important for the public to weigh-in and support building livable communities.

Task Force Meeting Dates

• Thurs., Oct. 15, 1:30 - 5:30pm, Capitol Hearing Rm. 350, Salem
• Thurs., Oct. 29, 8:30am - 12:30pm, Capitol Hearing Rm. 350, Salem
• Thurs., Nov. 12, 8:30am - 12:30pm, Capitol Hearing Rm. 350, Salem
• Fri., Dec. 4, 8:30am - 12:30pm, Location TBA

Cutting Carbs Workshops

Oregon Environmental Council is hosting three "Cutting Carbs" workshops for land use professionals during December.    Through information, tools and resources, Cutting Carbs workshops aid growing metropolitan areas in their ability to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

Who should attend? Transportation professionals, land use professionals, and elected officials who influence transportation plans and projects. Participants will be eligible for 4 AICP professional development credits.

What will you learn? We will explore the leading edge of incorporating greenhouse gas considerations into transportation planning and land use planning. The workshops will cover:

• State and federal transportation and climate change legislation that could impact your work, including the recommendations of the MPO GHG Task Force
• Which strategies make the most cost-effective dent in GHGs.
• The latest in modeling transportation-related GHGs.
• Barriers to and opportunities for reducing GHGs from transportation.
• Blueprint for the Future, a fifty-year conceptual vision for future growth in the Sacramento region. This blueprint plan has won many awards for its creative applications and its ability to create consensus in the region on a variety of complex issues.
• Resources available for cutting carbs from the transportation system, including funding.

Salem Cutting Carbs Workshop
When: Dec. 4,  1pm-5:45pm,
Hosted by: Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments

Central Point Cutting Carbs Workshop
When: Dec. 10, 10am- 3:45pm
Hosted by: Rogue Valley Council of Governments

Springfield Cutting Carbs Workshop
Dec. 11,  8:00am-2pm
Hosted by: City of Springfield

Local Activist Workshops

1000 Friends of Oregon is hosting workshops throughout the state on new transportation and climate policies being considered by the Bend, Salem, and Springfield-Eugene metro regions.  Learn what these communities are doing, and what you can do to support making your neighborhood more walkable and bicycle-friendly through smarter land use and transportation planning - the same tools that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Springfield Activist Workshop
When: Thurs., October 22, 2009, 6 - 7:30pm
Where: Springfield Public Library, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield
Speakers: Kitty Piercy, Eugene mayor; and Mary Kyle McCurdy, task force member & 1000 Friends policy director.

Salem-Keizer Activist Workshop
When: Wed., October 28, 6 - 7:30pm
Where: Salem Central Library’s Anderson Room, 585 Liberty St SE, Salem
Speakers: Peter Courtney, Senate President; and Chris Hagerbaumer, task force member & Oregon Environmental Council deputy director.

Bend Activist Workshop
When: Nov. 18, 6-7:30pm
Where: Deschutes Brewery's Mountain Room (901 SW Simpson Rd., Bend)
Speakers: Mark Capell, Bend City Council Member; Jeff Monson, Executive Director of Commute Options for Central Oregon; and Mary Kyle McCurdy, Policy Director for 1000 Friends of Oregon & task force member.