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December 18, 2007 Metro Wins APA Award for Planet-Friendly Compact Development Program WASHINGTON, DC — At a time when cities are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their carbon emissions and climate impact, Metro, an elected regional government serving the greater Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, is implementing one solution that is more effective than having every driver use a hybrid motor vehicle: compact, transit-oriented development. For its accomplishments, the American Planning Association has named Metro's Transit-Oriented Development Program recipient of the 2008 National Planning Award for Best Practice. "American cities need to rethink how they plan and build or rebuild themselves," said APA 2008 Awards Jury Chairperson Carol Rhea, AICP. "Transit-oriented development represents this new thinking and Metro is showing us how it can be done." Rhea added that one of the many benefits of transit-oriented development is reduced traffic congestion and dependence on cars for getting to work and doing short errands. Driving less means less carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere, helping reduce greenhouse gas pollutants. "We are very proud to receive this recognition," said Metro Councilor Robert Liberty, who serves on the Transit-oriented Development Program's steering committee. "For relatively little public investment, we can leverage private funding to create attractive development that revitalizes communities and town centers. In turn, these developments demonstrate market demand for more of this compact mix of housing, retail space, and office space. This kind of development works well with transit, walking, and biking, which reduces green house gases, limits paved surfaces, and protects natural areas like forests where carbon is stored." Representatives from Metro will receive their award at a luncheon ceremony April 30 during APA's National Planning Conference. A 30-minute video about all 11 of the 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Awardees will be shown at the luncheon. Accomplishments of the award recipients also will be highlighted in the April 2008 issue of Planning magazine and on the APA website. Metro is the government body that serves more than 1.4 million residents in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties as well as the 25 cities in the Portland region. The agency's transit-oriented initiative was the first program in the nation to use federal transportation funding to acquire land for redevelopment adjacent to light rail stations. Other innovations of the program include developing a transit ridership model that effectively compared the benefits of transit-oriented development with more conventional approaches and creating transit-oriented development easements. Financial incentives, public and private partnerships, and extensive public outreach were also integral features of the program. Since 1998, the program has helped bring 21 projects to construction or completion and has helped start 12 others. Program incentives have resulted in the development of 2,514 housing units, of which 1,834 are completed or under construction. In addition, more than 780,000 square feet of office space and 438,000 square feet of retail space have been developed or approved. Because of the compact design, the projects have required only 80 acres of land instead of 504 acres conventional development practices would have required. For a list of all 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Award recipients, visit www.planning.org/awards/2008winners.htm. APA's national awards program, considered to be the profession's highest honor, began more than 50 years ago to recognize outstanding community plans and planning leaders.
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