City Growth: Houston and Portland

1
City Growth Houston and Portland

• Transportation Planning and its effects on sprawl

2
Project Focus

• Why Houston and Portland
• Transportation Highway and Mass Transit
• Main factor in facilitating growth
• Policy Actors
• Policy Process
• Implications of research

3
Comparative History

• Houston
• 1901- Discovery of oil and Galveston Hurricane
• 1973 - Arab oil embargo
• NASA and Texas Medical Center

• Portland
• Steady growth as port city
• 1979 - Urban growth boundary
• 1986 - light rail
• Metro

4
Demographic Comparison

• Houston MSA
• Population 4,177,646
• Land Area 5,995 mi2
• Daily Miles of Travel on Freeway 41,000

• Portland MSA
• Population 1,918,009
• Land Area 5,028 mi2
• Daily Miles of Travel on Freeway 12,670

Metropolitan Statistical Area
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6
Houston Actors

• Greater Houston Partnership
• Citizen Groups
• Harris County Toll Road Authority
• METRO Public transit
• Texas Department of Transportation

7
Portland Actors

• Portland Development Commission
• Environmental Organizations
• Neighborhood Associations
• Portland City Council
• Tri-Met Public Transit
• Metro Regional government
• Oregon Department of Transportation

8
Houston Policy Processes
Houston Public Works
TxDOT
METRO
Road Maintenance
Highway
HGAC
Public Transit
9
Portland Policy Process
Metro
ODOT
Portland DOT
Tri-Met
Highway
Road Maintenance
Public Transit
10
The Future

• Houston
• Katy Freeway Expansion
• METRO solutions

• Portland
• Metro 2040 growth concept
• Tri-Met

11
Issues to Address

• Why have Houston and Portland grown so
  differently?
• What has allowed Portland to control growth?
• How has the political culture of these cities
  influenced the development of mass transit?