Editor’s Note: City Observatory is pleased to present this guest commentary from GB Arrington, longtime veteran of Portland’s transit and land use planning systems, explaining why he’s against a proposed $5 billion transportation bond measure
Why this Portland transit veteran is voting no on Metro’s bond Read Post »
Big data and new technology make bold promises about solving urban problems, but not only fall well short of solutions, but actually can end up making things worse. Why we’re skeptical of the “smart city”
Is there anything “smart” about smart cities? Read Post »
What City Observatory did this week 1. Manufacturing consent for highway widening. In the early days of freeway battles, state highway departments were power blind and tone-deaf, and citizen activists often triumphed in the court
The Week Observed, September 11, 2020 Read Post »
What City Observatory did this week Why most pedestrian infrastructure is really car infrastructure. One of the most misleading terms you’ll hear in transportation is “multi-modal” which in practice means a highway for cars and
The Week Observed, September 4, 2020 Read Post »
Big money “pedestrian” projects are often remedial and performative; their real purpose is to serve faster car traffic. One of the biggest lies in transportation planning is calling something “multi-modal.” When somebody tells you a
The myth of pedestrian infrastructure in a world of cars Read Post »
What City Observatory did this week The case against Metro’s $5 billion transportation bond. Portland’s regional government, Metro, is asking voters to approve a $5 billion package of transportation improvements, to be funded by borrowing
The Week Observed, August 28, 2020 Read Post »
