Where the region’s future takes shape
The Institute for Metropolitan Studies (IMS) is where local governments, advocates, and community leaders come together to address Greater Portland’s most pressing policy challenges—housing, transportation, economic vitality, and the future of our shared public spaces.
As a trusted public partner, IMS works to help the region move from policy ideas to policy implementation. We convene the people closest to the issues, ground our work in research and data, and shape practical solutions that local governments and communities can carry forward.
Housed within Portland State University’s College of Urban and Public Affairs, IMS draws on the strengths of Oregon’s urban research university while remaining deeply connected to the realities of regional policymaking.
Our goal is simple and ambitious: to help Greater Portland thrive—socially, economically, and environmentally—through thoughtful, community-responsive policy stewardship.