The graduate students at the Toulon School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University have released their latest study of the Cascadia Megaregion, "Ecolopolis," which presents a vision for coordination and sustainable economic development in the Vancouver-Seattle-Portland megaregion. Building on two previous studies, the report includes a detailed sector-based economic analysis and recommendations for further strengthening Cascadia's economic "competencies" in areas of green building and architecture, creative services, agriculture and food production and high tech. It also makes recommendations for protecting Cascadia's renowned environmental heritage and reputation for sustainability, while improving flows and connections within the megaregion.

Download the Report.

Amtrak received a boost on Tuesday when the Senate voted to adopt the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007. This bill authorizes $11.4 billion in operating and capital subsidies to Amtrak over a six-year period. That's $1.9 billion a year, up from $1.2 billion, which they received last year. This includes funding to bring the Northeast Corridor back to a state of good repair with annual capital grants of $813 million to $1.2 billion over the six year period.

Importantly, the bill also removed the requirement that Amtrak must work toward financial self-sufficiency, recognizing that virtually no intercity passenger rail service in the globe is financially self-sufficient. (And indeed, air travel and road travel are both reliant on federal subsidies.)

I also noticed that there is a miscellaneous item in the bill that directs Amtrak to develop a strategic plan to expand cross-border service between the U.S. and Canada on the Cascade line in preparation for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. That service recently increased from one train a day to two trains a day, but still takes much longer than driving because Amtrak does not own the right-of-way and is delayed by freight trains. Better passenger rail service on the I-5 corridor would greatly increase connectivity and tourism in Cascadia.

The bill now must go to the House, which may not happen until the beginning of next year. Nonetheless, we are hopeful that this legislation will move forward speedily and put intercity passenger rail back on firmer footing so we can start thinking more expansively about its role in America's future.

Read the Boston Globe article on the Senate bill.

Photo: Flickr.com/reivax

RPA's America 2050 team traveled to Vancouver this week, where we were invited by TransLink - Greater Vancouver's transportation authority - to assist them in public consultation around the development of a 30-year transportation strategy for the region. TransLink is a unique transportation authority with planning and operating responsibilities for both roads and transit in the Vancouver region. They are currently developing a 30-year transportation strategy for the region and held three consultation forums over the last week: one with local government leaders, one with regional stakeholders, and another with their staff and transit operators.  

They were interested in RPA's experience in developing long-range plans for the NY-NJ-CT region, as well as the long term strategies of America 2050 and megaregional trends in Cascadia. RPA's PowerPoint presentation, delivered at TransLink's Stakeholder Transportation Forum on October 29 at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Downtown Vancouver can be downloaded here (2.2 MB).

You can read comments on the stakeholder forum on a local Vancouver blog here.

Photo: Construction of TransLink's new Canada Line. (Courtesy of Tom Wright.)

In May, Bob Yaro, President of Regional Plan Association, presented an economic development strategy in Portland, Oregon. Portland State University’s School of Business Administration and the Oregon Environmental Council hosted the event, titled "2007 Economic Development Speaker Series". Yaro stressed the importance of global economic change, concerns about energy and climate change. The economic development strategy for the Cascadia megaregion emphasized how to market its natural assets, attract and retain talent, and create synergies between existing research universities.

Powerpoint presentation by Bob Yaro on the Cascadia Megaregion.

Toulon School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, September 2006.

Download Report (PDF 2.8MB)

Draft by Portland State University

Download Report report (PDF 3MB)