New Report: Rural Sprawl in Metropolitan Portland
The Portland metro area is an interesting test case for smart growth. The Oregon side of the region operates under the nation's most mature growth management system. The Washington side operates under a newer set of rules, enacted in the mid-1990s. On paper, the two growth management programs share many features. But as a new Sightline report shows, their records have diverged: Clark County, home to the city of Vancouver, Washington, has allowed substantially more housing and population growth on rural lands than the Oregon side of the Portland metro area.
Author: SwatchJunkies
Rural Sprawl in Metropolitan Portland
The greater metro Portland, Oregon, straddles two states, offering an intriguing natural experiment for gauging the effects of different growth management laws. The Oregon side operates under the nation's oldest and most mature growth management system, while the Washington side is governed by a newer law. Over the last two decades, Clark County, Washington, accounted for the large majority of all rural and exurban housing and population growth in the greater Portland area.
Author: Clark Williams-Derry
Sprawl Rules Fail Two Ways
Sprawl is a scourge on so many fronts. It paves over evergreen forests and productive farmlands. It sends expensive asphalt highways snaking into rural areas. It creates long, polluting commutes. ...
Author: SwatchJunkies
Sprawl and Smart Growth in Selected Northwest Cities
Sightline Institute's reports on sprawl and smart growth in several Northwest cities analyze how each city did at curbing sprawl and developing efficiently, starting with the period of the 1990s.
Author: Sightline Editor
Northwest’s Car-Centered Sprawl is Major Health Risk
Car-centered sprawl shortens northwesterners’ lives because it contributes to some of the region’s leading health risks, reports Cascadia Scorecard 2006: Focus on Sprawl and Health, an annual progress report on the Pacific Northwest released today by Sightline Institute (formerly Northwest Environment Watch).
Author: Clark Williams-Derry
Sprawl and Health Connections
Emerging research is discovering that the design and layout of your neighborhood can affect your health. People who live in low-density, sprawling residential areas--where houses are far from stores and jobs--tend to drive more, and walk less, than people who live in more compact neighborhoods with a mixture of stores, services, and homes.
Author: Sightline Editor
The Research: Studies on Health and Sprawl
Sources of information about how community design and traffic affect health.
Author: Sightline Editor
Sprawl and Smart Growth in Greater Vancouver
A comparison of Vancouver, BC's growth during the 1990s with Seattle-Tacoma--and why Vancouver ranks higher at smart growth. Using census data and Landsat satellite imagery, Sightline researchers ranked municipalities' and districts' records in smart growth and pavement spread, and compared greater Vancouver with another fast-growing metropolis in the Pacific Northwest--the Seattle-Tacoma region.
