A new analysis of growth compared Portland’s record at curbing sprawl and protecting rural land with 14 other US cities, including Seattle and Boise. The study, which is part of Sightline’s Cascadia Scorecard project, found that Oregon’s land-use policies excel in protecting rural land and curbing low-density sprawl.
Person for person in the last decade, new development in metropolitan Portland consumed less than half as much land as the average city in the study.
The Portland ExceptionSee also
- Press release
Oregon’s land use laws save rural land, study of 15 cities shows - Complete rankings and data for all 15 cities (pdf)
- Sprawl and Smart Growth in Selected Northwest Cities
Animated maps from the study
Static maps from the study
Note: The 15 cities in the study included Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Riverside-San Bernardino, California; Sacramento, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Seattle, Washington.
