Adelaide, Australia, let me introduce you to Tsukuba, Japan

Last week, First Stop Portland got a call from the mayor’s office. A parliament member from Adelaide, South Australia, would be in Portland for a day and was interested in taking one of our study tours. Lucky for us, we had already designed a study tour for a delegation visiting from the Social and Environmental Systems division of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan. With a little finagling, we were able to roll the two groups into one very interesting, very international, opportunity for dialogue about urban transportation and sustainable development.

Researchers from Tsukuba, Japan explore suburban transportation options

Neighborhood Scouting Report: Sunnyside

Neighborhood Scouting Report: Historic Mississippi Avenue

by Kyle Curtis, First Stop Portland

On a balmy summer day- with the sun playing hide-and-seek behind the clouds- I decided to hop on the Yellow MAX line from downtown Portland to visit the Mississippi neighborhood. The concept of 20-minute neighborhoods prominently features in conversations about sustainable development in Portland, with a portion of the Portland Plan devoted to the concept. Currently, First Stop Portland is compiling a guidebook of Portland, with different chapters that focus on these various neighborhoods. I decided to take a fact-finding trip to one of the city’s up-and-coming neighborhoods, not only to collect information for the book but also to determine whether Mississippi fits the definition of the "20 minute neighborhood" concept.