Towards a Metropolitan Consciousness in the Portland Oregon Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The Portland metropolitan area has benefited from the intergovernmental cooperation employed across the region and the sense of metropolitan identity that is held by public officials and the general public. The key tools that have been employed include formation of a metropolitan government, establishment of an urban growth boundary to contain sprawl and redirect market forces to produce a more compact region, and development of a regional light rail system and a regional parks and open space system. This paper argues that linking the typically inward focus of sustainable development to a global context, the region can realize an even greater benefit.