Cascadia Scorecard 2007
Seven Key Trends Shaping the Northwest
The 2007 edition of the Cascadia Scorecard, the Pacific Northwest’s annual progress report, reveals that the region lags behind world leaders on trends such as energy, sprawl, and economic security. The good news is that we are making progress—and adopting smart solutions will accelerate those gains.
By Sightline Institute
"If only every corner of America had a Sightline. It's the absolute epitome of what it means to think about the future--not just to react to events but to aim for the possible and the necessary." - Bill McKibben
Despite our reputation for a good quality of life, the Northwest comes up short when we measure what really matters.
The 2007 Cascadia Scorecard finds some big wins in the Northwest, but reveals that we still struggle when it comes to energy efficiency, economic security, and curbing sprawl.
Find out how your state or province is doing here.
See the 2007 maps, including a comparison of growth before and after Measure 37 in Oregon, and 50 years of climate change in the Northwest.
The Cascadia Scorecard is a regional gauge of progress that tracks trends shaping the future of the Northwest. The 2007 Scorecard reports on seven trends, including:- Energy: We're stuck in high gear, with total energy use at high levels and per-person electricity and diesel use on the rise. The good news? We’re using less gasoline per person than at any time since the late 1960s.
- Economic security: Ordinary northwesterners have seen meager gains in the past 15 years, in spite of what measures like the Dow Jones are telling us.
- Sprawl: Measure 37 is endangering Oregon's record on protecting rural land, but the region overall has made some progress when it comes to walkable or transit-oriented neighborhoods.
The Scorecard shows that measuring what really matters in Cascadia gives us sold footing to make big decisions from. Northwesterners have begun to adopt some of the types of innovative solutions that help improve several trends at once.
More information:
Cascadia Scorecard citations and sources
To get a copy of the Cascadia Scorecard 2007, order or download on the right hand sidebar. ** Please note, the bookstore will be closed June 27-July 15.
site credits |
= premium content; free registration required