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than in Portland's closest peer, Seattle, which

were ahead of Portland's bus-and-light-rail

system in 1990 and 2000.22

until 2000 had no rail transit.

Transit works best at taking commuters

to centrally located jobs. In 2001, TriMet was

Myth #2: Transit-

proud to say that 46 percent of all downtown

Oriented Development

Portland workers rode transit to work. Only

11 percent of Portland-area commuters work

downtown, so on a regional level this is not

One of the highlights of any tour of

very important. But transit did help relieve

Portland offered by planning officials is a

congestion and parking problems in the

visit to one of the many transit-oriented

downtown area. By 2005, however, the num-

developments that have sprung up all over

ber of downtown workers commuting by

the region. These high-density, mixed-use

transit declined by more than 20 percent,

developments are supposed to herald a new

while the number driving to work increased.

lifestyle that uses less land and resources

The result was that transit's share of down-

because people live in multifamily housing or

town commuting fell to just 38 percent.23

in homes on tiny lots, walk to shops, take

transit to work, and generally drive far less

One reason for this decline is that TriMet

Despite light rail

than people living in traditional suburbs.

had to make service cuts due to the 2001

and streetcars,

Many transit-oriented developments, or

recession. The high cost of new rail lines and

TODs as planners call them, are built right

inflexible light-rail mortgage payments

between 2001 and

next to light-rail stations. A typical develop-

forced the agency to cut deeper than would

2005, the number

ment is four to five stories tall, with shops and

have been necessary if it operated a debt-free,

bus-only system.24

of downtown

offices on the ground floor and apartments or

condos above. One famous transit-oriented

High gas prices in 2006 led to record rid-

Portland

ership levels for many transit agencies.25 But

village, Orenco, was built when a light-rail line

commuters

was constructed across prime farmland with

due to budget and service cuts, Portland

the express purpose of subdividing that land

transit ridership grew by an anemic 0.1 per-

taking transit to

cent.26

into a high-density development.

work declined by

Tour guides usually neglect to mention

Even with adequate budgets, Portland

more than 20

several important points about Portland

planners themselves do not predict that their

TODs:

plans will lead to a huge shift in travel habits.

percent, while the

A 1997 regional plan called for a 70 percent

number driving

1. They are heavily subsidized, many

increase in population densities within the

to work

receiving tens of millions of dollars of

urban-growth boundary and the construc-

support in the form of tax breaks,

tion of 125 miles of rail transit and scores of

increased.

infrastructure subsidies, below-market

high-density, transit-oriented developments.

land sales, and direct grants.

Planners projected that these actions would

2. Despite the subsidies, vacancy rates are

reduce the share of trips taken by automobile

often high, particularly in areas desig-

from 92 percent in 1990 down to 88 percent

nated for shops.

in 2040. Since planners also anticipate a 70

3. While these developments may attract

percent population increase during that

some people who prefer not to drive,

time, the small decline in driving's share of

there is little evidence that they have

travel would not prevent a huge increase in

traffic congestion.27

significantly changed people's travel

habits.

In short, Portland's integrated land-use

and transportation planning has not pro-

As previously noted, when Portland's first

duced any miracles for transit. If transit plays

light-rail line opened for business in 1986,

a slightly greater role in regional travel than

the city zoned much of the land near light-

in some other cities, it plays a smaller role

6