Climate Prosperity Project: Portland

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Climate Prosperity Project Portland
Climate Prosperity Project National Leadership
Meeting February 21, 2009
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ContextUrban Growth Management
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Context Effective Land Use and Transportation
Planning
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Context Green Culture

• No. 1, Sustainable City SustainLane, 2007, 2008
• No. 1, America's 50 Greenest Cities" Popular
  Science magazine (February 2008)
• Highest percentage of bicycle commuters
• 140 new miles in the 1990s
• 8x the national average at lt2 per capita in
  annual city investment
• The nations most extensive modern light rail and
  first modern streetcar system
• Stimulated over 3 billion in new investment
  along rail corridors since 1986
• Transit ridership doubled since 1990
• Among the best recycling rates in the 30 largest
  cities 63
• 50 of new commercial sq footage is LEED
  certified in 2007
• No. 1, breweries per capita

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Coordinating Organizations

• Greenlight Greater Portland
• Metro
• Nike
• Portland Development Commission
• Portland Oregon Sustainability Institute
• City of Portland Bureau of Planning and
  Sustainability

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Leadership

• Erin Flynn
• Urban Development Director
• Portland Development
• Commission
• Gillian Floren
• Vice President, Marketing and
• Business Retention
• Greenlight Greater Portland
• Kate Willis
• Global Finance
• Nike
• Martin Tull
• Director of Sustainability,
• Formos

• Mike Hoglund
• Director, Research Center
• Metro
• Rob Bennett
• Executive Director
• Portland Oregon Sustainability
• Institute
• Michael Armstrong
• Senior Sustainability Manager
• City of Portland Bureau of
• Planning and Sustainability
• AND MORE TO COME

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Key Challenges

• A commitment to economic growth and job creation
  is needed to transform the economy.
• Commercialization and venture capital in clean
  tech and green building is limited.
• There is limited coordinated response to regional
  climate planning in Portland metro region.

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Goals

• 80 reduction in carbon emissions by 2050
  (Portland)
• National model for sustainability and economic
  growth
• Full regional collaboration
• Maintain quality of life and vibrant central city
  

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• Green Savings
• Efficient Land Use
• Transportation Infrastructure
• Clean Energy Fund
• EcoDistricts
• Green Dividend
• Drive Less, Save More
• Recycle at Work
• Green Building Policy

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Green Opportunity

• Largest solar cluster in America with an
  estimated capital investment over 1 billion
• Vestas North American Headquarters
• Soon to be top five state in the US in wind with
  more than 1,100 megawatts operating and 2,500
  megawatts more approved or under review.
• Oregon requires renewable power for 10 percent of
  the states electric power by 2012 and 25 of its
  electricity load by 2025.
• PGE ranks first in the country in sales of green
  power options and PacifiCorp ranks fourth.

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Green Talent
Green talent means?
Whos involved?
Where are we on this?

• K-12
• Worksystems/RWIB
• Portland Community College System
• Oregon University System
• Oregon BEST

• Skill development all levels
• Business development and entrepreurship
• Leadership on climate prosperity strategies over
  the long term

• Fragmented, but bubbling
• Need to inventory, map, connect the dots
• Need to focus on the New Fundamentals leap
  frog
• Will be major transition requiring head, heart,
  and hands appeal to the grass roots

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Strategic Planning Process

• Metro convening local governments around climate
  change
• Major updates to City of Portland Climate Plan
  and Economic Development Strategy in development
• Greenlight Greater Portland and Portland
  Development Commission convening public and
  private sector around prosperity
• Last night at the bar was a key step in bringing
  these discussions together

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Competitive Advantage

• The region has begun transition to a more dynamic
  economy by emphasizing green job creation along
  with quality of life
• Investments in transportation options, density,
  smart growth, energy efficiency, and sustainable
  practices position Portland to thrive in global
  economy
• Creative class higher than national average
• State and local policy leadership (e.g., RPS,
  BETC)
• Concentration of clean tech firms nearly double
  the national average
• Cost of doing business and living esp. compared
  to all CA metros

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Future Actions

• Assessment and inventory of existing initiatives
  and gaps
• Regional GHG inventory
• Assessment of sustainability metrics across metro
  area
• Development of governance structure and timeline
• Identify resource plan

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Key Obstacles Impediments

• Lack of coordination between local and state
  economic development and education
• Lack of a major research institution
• Lack of skilled workers and reliance on imported
  workforce
• Lack of venture capital
• Low wages
• Regional coordination limited to land use and
  transportation
• Lack of funding

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Major Sources of Financing

• Public benefit charges (energy)
• Tax increment financing
• Federal transportation dollars
• Stimulus block grants, competitive grants, loans
• Local and state bonding
• State and federal tax credits
• General obligation and revenue bonds

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Citizen Outreach

• City Portland Plan, new climate-protection
  strategy, new economic development strategy
• Metro Making the Greatest Place, Regional
  Innovation Forum, Achieve Green
• State Oregon Business Summit

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Advice and Assistance from Climate Prosperity
Project

• Coordinate and refine key strategies
• Ex Building retrofit fund loan guarantees
• Peer networks and shared learning
• Resource development How do we pay for this?
• Governance models

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Accomplishments