City Profiles / Large Cities / Portland, OR

Portland, Oregon

Portland's status as one America's top green cities isn't owed simply to the fact that its West Coast roots, location and availability of hydropower make it newer and cleaner than older Midwest and East Coast cities. For 40 years, Portland has made environmental preservation a keystone in its development and the investment has paid off. A major element has been the nation's first statewide smart growth program to rein in urban sprawl, established during Governor Tom McCall's term in 1973. By creating a rural-urban boundary, Portland ensured that farmland would remain for agricultural use and encouraged dense growth in the city while at the same time leaving the precise borders open to change as the future needs of the area shifted.

In 1986, Portland opened the first line of its light rail system and has consistently expanded transportation alternatives, including free plug-in parking spots for electric vehicles and "bike boxes" at some intersections to give bicyclists priority over other vehicles and help prevent accidents. To reduce congestion, the city has also installed a new aerial tram from its South Waterfront development complex to Oregon Health and Science University. The South Waterfront itself boasts the most LEED-certified residential towers of any city in the U.S.

Portland's greening has deep local support and meshes well with the environmental initiatives of local businesses, which the city recognizes in its annual Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow awards. For their part, Portland's residents are among the top recyclers in the nation, recycling over half of their waste. They also can rely on fresh, local produce from the city's plentiful farmers markets, many of which accept food stamps. It is a city renowned for it restaurants and its beer—and with 28 breweries to choose from, Portland offers more local brews than any other city in the nation. On the larger scale, Portland has led the fight against global warming since 1993 by being the first local government to adopt a plan to address climate change, keeping its greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels, despite rapid growth.