ABSTRACT
Through coordinated transportation and land-use planning in support of connectivity, the Portland region has been bucking the trend toward sprawl and showing the nation a different way to develop. If people think about applying the least-cost planning concept to transportation, it sets up a new paradigm for transportation planning in which planners do not just compare one highway project to another, or one highway project to a transit project. As a result of a focus on connectivity, the public transportation system in the Portland region has become a very important part of the community— a part of its identity and a component of its lifestyle. All of the statewide planning elements have created a solid foundation on which the Portland region has been building a green community in a way that reflects the philosophy of connectivity. The Portland region's 2040 Growth Concept Plan is the region's growth management policy; it defines development in the metropolitan region through the year 2040.
