In late October, Alta Senior Associate Steve Durrant, ASLA led a group of eight regional and national urban design professionals in a site design workshop that explored opportunities for changing how Portland uses and lives with its industrial waterfront. The project addresses 14 miles of the Willamette River from just north of downtown Portland to the Columbia River. Results of the workshop will be used to help guide how the City continues to encourage revitalization of the industrial waterfront as: a healthy and prosperous industrial zone, the City's "front yard," and an educational resource.

The workshop revealed new approaches to transportation, development, natural resource enhancement, and ways of putting contaminated sites back into productive use.

In addition to his non-motorized and open space expertice, Mr. Durrant brings 20 years of waterfront redevelopment experience to the Portland Planning Bureau's River Plan project. He is a board member of The Waterfront Center and recently chaired Urban Waterfronts 24, the Center's international conference held in this year in Portland.

Alta prides itself on creating innovative plans and facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians. Now, we're proud to be on the cutting edge of bicycle and pedestrian traffic safety research as well.

Alta staff will join Professor David Ragland at the University of California at Berkeley Traffic Safety Center in five long-term studies to evaluate facilities design and traffic safety. These studies, funded by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), will provide much-needed evaluation of various traffic safety issues important to bicyclists and pedestrians. Study topics include:

• Determining land-use and transportation factors that influence bicycle and pedestrian activity in San Diego County
  
• Measuring the effectiveness of ladder-style crosswalks in Lake Tahoe
  
• Studying bicycle and pedestrian safety at multi-lane roundabouts around the country
  
• Studying the effects of transportation corridor features on driver and pedestrian behavior and on community vitality
  
• Evaluating the causes of bicycle and pedestrian traffic fatalities and injuries and developing best practices for countermeasures
  

Alta will utilize existing data and original research to provide new insight into these topics. Alta's technical expertise in bicycle and pedestrian facilities will benefit the study team; our role includes performing intercept surveys, pedestrian and bicycle counts, interviewing traffic safety experts and professionals, co-organizing a UC Berkeley traffic safety symposium, and evaluating existing literature, as well as designing original research.

These high-level studies will give transportation professionals around the country important new information, creating a new generation of scientifically-evaluated bicycle and pedestrian facilities. For more information, contact Alta Principal Michael Jones in our Berkeley office.

The League of American Bicyclists recently designated the Town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming a Silver Bicycle Friendly Community, the first time the Town has received a bicycle friendly designation. Alta completed the Jackson Hole Pathways Master Plan earlier this year, and the League's website specifically mentions the Master Plan as a primary reason for its recognition as a Silver status community.

For more information about Alta's work in Jackson Hole, contact Alta Principal Jeff Olson in our New York office.

On September 13, the Solano Transportation Authority Board of Directors adopted the Solano Countywide Safe Routes to School (SR2S) process, which Alta is managing. This countywide process was the result of several months of effort by a Steering Committee consisting of city representatives, school district officials, law enforcement, and public health officials from throughout Solano County.

Alta developed a detailed strategy for conducting the SR2S process in each community in the County, and created a printed toolkit that each community can use to assess the walking and bicycling conditions around their schools and identify appropriate engineering, educational, encouragement, and enforcement (the four E's) recommendations. Over the next year, Alta will lead a series of task force meetings in each community, introducing community members to the benefits of Safe Routes to School, training them in how to conduct effective walking audits, and assisting with development of recommendations that span the four E's of SR2S. The community task force process kicks off in October in the City of Benicia, and will be followed by the other communities. Following the process, each community will bring a prioritized list of projects and programs back to the Solano Transportation Authority for inclusion in a Countywide SR2S funding strategy.

For more information about this effort, contact Alta Principal Brett Hondorp in our Berkeley office

Marin County, California is well known for its scenic beauty, outstanding mountain biking, and for leading the nation in helping kids walk and bike to school (through their national model Safe Routes to School program). Soon, Marin County may also be known for a dramatic increase in the number of people walking and biking for transportation, and Alta is helping lead the way.

In 2005, Congress passed the federal highways bill, called SAFETEA-LU. This bill contained an innovative new program designed to get more Americans biking and walking.

Marin County was one of four communities around the US selected as Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Project sites (the others are Columbia, MI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; and Sheboygan County, WI). Each community will receive $25 million to implement projects designed to significantly increase the number of residents biking and walking for transportation. Alta is part of a multidisciplinary team leading the Marin County effort.

Since the focus of the program is 'mode shift' or the ability to encourage use of bicycles or walking instead of driving, the project will focus on improving facilities for walking and biking (sidewalks, bikeways, and multi-use paths). Other important tools include improving access to transit, connecting residential to business districts, and education and promotion programs. Marin County residents will have many opportunities to get involved to ensure that community priorities are honored at every stage.

These four pilot projects aim to demonstrate the viability of nonmotorized transportation, and provide a model for other communities interested in creating significant modal shift from driving alone to walking and biking. Ensuring the success of this groundbreaking project will be a top priority for Alta over the next three years.

For more information, see the Marin County project website.

Philip Sales, ASLA, Associate - Berkeley, California
Prior to joining Alta, Philip Sales was the chief park and trail planner with the Sonoma County, California Regional Parks Department. He has over 30 years experience in park and trail development including acquisition, development, construction, renovation, resource management, and environmental documentation. During his 18-year tenure with Sonoma County, he oversaw the development of 22 new park and regional trail facilities and expansions to an additional 10 existing parks. He has extensive experience working with public agencies, elected officials, community organizations, private, state and federal funding organizations and the general public. During his career, Philip has worked as a Landscape Architect in both private and public practice in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Great Britain.

• Pro-Bono Assistance: Alta staff are available to help community groups and agencies on a pro bono basis, whether it is answering questions or assisting with research. Every year we donate hundreds of hours to help our colleagues in a variety of areas. Call an Alta professional today to find out more about this, or come into one of our offices and use our library of resources.
   
• Conference Support Program: Alta offers help to deserving individuals who wish to attend conferences in fields related to bicycles, pedestrians, and trails. This may include plane tickets, other travel costs, and conference costs. Contact Alta Principals Michael Jones or Mia Birk to find out more about this program.