The Exchange

SPEAKER SERIES

THE EXCHANGE: Untangling the Urban Fabric

The Exchange is a quarterly series from PSU's Planning & Sustainability Office. It brings faculty, students, and community leaders together to tackle real urban and campus challenges through cross-departmental collaboration, shared knowledge, and hands-on strategies to enliven our campus and city.

Bike Commuting, November 12, 2026
The Arts Ecosystem, Winter 2027
Public Spaces, Spring 2027

The street infrastructure is here, but where are the commuters? Can Portland top the lists of bike commuting cities once more? Join students, planners, community partners, and grassroots advocates to unpack what’s going on now, and see what’s next.

EVENT OVERVIEW

Portland used to be the top bike commuting city in the US. At its peak, bike commuting here ran at several times the national average. Protected lanes, the nation's first pollinator bikeway, bike buses, cargo bikes, and a legendary messenger scene made riding an everyday way to get around, not just something for diehards. Parents, students, and casual riders biked to work and school, and the city backed them with dedicated staff, forward-thinking policy, and real investment in infrastructure.Then the Pandemic hit. People have come back to campuses and offices, but bike commuting hasn't recovered at the same pace. How do we get Portland rolling again?

Our first panel of the year brings planners, agency partners, and grassroots advocates together to dig into that question. We'll look at what's driving the decline. We'll examine demographics, and employment trends, security, safety, and end-of-trip amenities like secure parking, lockers, and showers. Together, we’ll map out potential steps to bring riders back…reducing traffic congestion, benefiting the environment, boosting physical exercise, and building faster daily commutes.

Come help us get PSU rolling again!

WHY ATTEND

Meet the people shaping Portland's streets. Connect with the advocates, planners, and agency staff working on active transportation and placemaking.
Bring your ideas to the table. This is a working conversation, not a lecture. Faculty and student perspectives are part of the solution.
Leave with real strategies. Get practical, tactical approaches for making campus and city streets better for riding.
See campus and city as one system. Explore how PSU's challenges mirror the region's, and put our motto, Let Knowledge Serve the City, into practice.

PLEASE REGISTER

PLEASE REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE

THE PANEL

What makes this panel so RAD is that it brings together the entire ecosystem of Portland’s current bike culture. This is powerhouse lineup.

(moderator) Sarah Heinicke — Director, PSU Planning & Sustainability Office: Sarah has been a lifelong bike commuter, starting with her customized Huffy in 3rd grade. She also comes to this discussion with over 30 years of experience in planning, urban economics, and placemaking. She really wants to see more people experience the joy and freedom getting around by bike allows, though wishes she didn't have “helmet head” most days.

Claire Vlach — Operations Manager, BikeLoud PDX: Claire brings ten years of experience in local active transportation advocacy, both as staff at BikeLoud and as a volunteer with BikeLoud and Oregon Walks. Claire is an urban designer with close to 20 years of experience on public projects, many with a bicycle infrastructure component. She envisions a future where any Portlander can bike safely and comfortably.

Dr. Greg Griffin — Adjunct Faculty, PSU, Urban Studies & Planning: Greg has loved bicycling to explore places since he was a child, and the challenges of biking in Texas inspired work as a park and transportation planner, researcher, and professor. His doctoral dissertation while at UT-Austin included evaluation of bicycling safety and public engagement through crowdsourced data and interviews in Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas. His first book is Transport Truths: Planning Methods and Ethics for Global Futures (Bristol University Press, 2025).

Ryan Hashagen, Principal & Managing Director, Better Block PDX : Ryan Hashagen is the Director of Better Block PDX, Steel Bridge Skatepark Coalition, & founder of Icicle Tricycles, a cargo bike manufacturing business based in Old Town Portland, OR & Victoria, B.C. They have been the liaison for the Better Block PSU Project Pathway for the last 12 years and proud to have worked with many MURPS and PBOT to bring projects like Better Naito, Ankeny Alley, MLK/Grand bus lanes, and Willamette Blvd protected bike lanes to life!

Marley Blonsky Co-Founder & Executive Director, All Bodies On Bikes: Marley Blonsky is a speaker, author, and movement-builder working to make cycling and active transportation welcoming to every body. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of All Bodies on Bikes, a national nonprofit advancing size inclusion in cycling, and a size inclusion consultant who helps brands, bike shops...

Renata Tirta — Division Manager, Mobility & Safety Programs, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT): Renata has ten years of experience at PBOT thinking about and developing transportation programs that promote active transportation. Her love of biking started here at PSU when she was a student and staff at TREC. Her early adoption of commuting by e-bike has led her to sportier bike endeavors. She believes in building culture for cycling that is big enough for everyone, and cultivating leadership and across communities so that biking is a norm and more than just a choice. Various programs to help you bike! City Bike Bus, Portland By Cycle rides and workshops, Sunday Parkways, BIKETOWN, and more.