We practice and learn planning in a place where planning matters. The City of Portland, the Metro region, and the state of Oregon all have innovative planning practices that are known throughout the world. We think it's the best place to study and practice planning!
Oregon is among the only states in the country to have a state-wide planning program, now 50+ years old. The program sets goals prioritizing public participation, preserving farmland, providing a range of housing types, reducing reliance on automobiles, and more. The program continues to be a national leader, with recent changes including HB 2011: Housing Choices, and rule-making on Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities. The results of this system are seen throughout the region, including the urban growth boundary (UGB), the transit system Tri-Met, and the country’s only directly-elected regional government, Metro. Many of our faculty have been collaborating on Oregon 2050, a look ahead for planning in our state. As planning students, our MURPs learn how this system evolved, what works, and what doesn’t.
Portland is often regarded as a “capital of good planning” in the U.S. (professor emeritus Carl Abbott, Greater Portland). It is a city full of walkable neighborhoods and innovative thinkers who love our city. Renowned urbanist Jane Jacobs said “In Portland, a lot of good things are being done…People in Portland love Portland. That’s the most important thing.” Portland continues to innovate new planning practices, like the Residential Infill Project and the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund. Today, Portland faces challenges, like other U.S. cities, including a crisis in affordable housing, high vacancies in office and commercial spaces, and increasing impacts from climate change. We need values oriented problem solvers to be part of a better future!
But we’re not just about Portland. A number of our faculty do research and lead study trips abroad. One study abroad trip is Sustainable Transportation in Denmark, through the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation. Here in Oregon, our faculty participate in a collaborative program with Eastern Oregon University, Urban-Rural Ambassadors, which aims to bridge the urban-rural divide.