by Michael Jones, Principal

Ten years ago in June of 1996, I started Alta Planning, Design & Economics in a log cabin with nothing more than a slab of wood, quill, and ink. No wait, that was Abe Lincoln. I actually started off working in my bedroom, pretty much in a state of panic since I had two young kids, plus my wife, Anne, had also just started her own business and we were pretty much broke. I had just left an engineering firm, where I had been bringing in numerous bike master plan contracts but I wasn't taken seriously. Our first client as Alta was Transtech on the Coastal Rail Trail, with a fee of $1,170. That first six months I won 21 projects, and hired my first employee, Josh Abrams.

Alta Planning + Design is working on design and implementation of the Ash Creek Trail in Independence, Oregon. Running the length of the city along Ash Creek, this 1.5-mile trail will be an off-street bicycle and pedestrian route through the heart of the city. The trail will link the Willamette River, the Elementary School, the Middle School, and two parks.

The project is scheduled to begin construction in summer 2007, but the first 500 feet of the trail will be completed by mid-August of this year. This work will be done by local youth participating in a construction academy sponsored by the Oregon Building Congress (OBC). The construction academies provide hands-on building experience to students and are designed to show students how math, science, ecology, and other academic subjects are applied in the construction industry. Construction academy participants earn a stipend equivalent to minimum wage and/or academic credit.

The OBC has partnered with the Polk HALO (Help Achieving Lifelong Objectives) program and the City of Independence to offer the 2006 Polk County Construction Academy. Eleven area youth will spend six weeks working with two supervisors to build the inaugural 500 feet of the Ash Creek Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail. To help make this possible, Alta Planning + Design met with the project foreman, discussed the needs of the project, and provided construction drawings and specifications for this portion of the trail in advance of the rest of the project. The City is paying the cost of construction materials and stipends for the youth. OBC and Polk HALO are paying for tools, transportation, and insurance, as well as salaries for an experienced foreman and his assistant.

For more information, contact Shawn Irvine at the City of Independence at 503-838-1212, or Katie Insalaco at the Oregon Building Congress at 503-597-1715.

As part of a team effort to raise the City of Portland's status from a Gold to Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community, Alta Planning + Design published a report in June on bicycle-related industry growth in Portland. To get a picture of the economic impact of bicycling in Portland, staff conducted a survey of more than 100 businesses, from custom frame builders to component manufacturers, race promoters, and bike shops. The survey consisted of four questions related to:

• gross revenue related to bicycles,
• growth in revenues over the past decade,
• the effect of Portland's bike-friendly reputation on business, and
• how the City could help their business grow.

Businesses were categorized by manufacturers and distributors; retail and repair shops; races, rides, events, and tours; and professional services, such as education and advocacy groups, planners, messenger companies, artists, and other professionals with a business focused exclusively on bicycling.

The study found that the total estimated impact of bicycling on Portland's economy is close to $63 million, with a growing number of jobs and revenue. Significant growth is occurring in all sectors, with burgeoning activity in the manufacturing areas of high-end components and bicycles, as well as in the tourist industry. For example, the study found that Portland has nearly 2,100 bike rides and events each year that bring in about 40,000 people.

So far, this study has had several exciting repercussions:

• On July 5th, Portland's City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution making the bicycle industry a recognized and targeted part of the City's economy. Alta Principal Mia Birk presented the study findings to the Council, and several local bicycle advocates and retailers testified and showed support for the resolution.
• Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer asked Mia to write a memo on the methodology used to conduct the study.
• The Portland Development Commission will be establishing an advisory committee to provide industry input and guidance on short- and long-term strategies to grow the industry, as well as to help identify resources and potential partnerships.
• The Portland Development Commission also plans to hold a series of meetings with individual business owners to help better understand industry needs, challenges, and barriers, and identify potential solutions to help those businesses expand.

For more information about this effort, contact Alta Principal Mia Birk in our Portland office.

The National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project (NDP) is an annual bicycle and pedestrian count and survey effort sponsored by Alta Planning + Design and the Institute of Transportation Engineers Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. This summer, Alta will publish a summary analysis of counts that have been collected to date by the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project and will make this summary available on our website. Summary results will be available for off-street bike paths in New York City; Indianapolis; Harris County, Texas; Monterey, California; and other locations. The analysis will include estimates of annual trail use, and local economic and transportation benefits.

Would you like to participate? The fall dates for the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project are fast approaching! September 12th through 14th are official weekday count dates, and September 9th and 16th are official Saturday count dates. Public agencies and other groups are invited to conduct bicycle and pedestrian counts and surveys on these dates and share their findings with the NDP. A description of the program, instructions, and sample count and survey forms are available on Alta Planning + Design's website at www.altaplanning.com.

The program is currently accepting counts or surveys conducted on pathways, on-street bikeways, or in pedestrian areas in the past five years. Send the data to: Michael Jones, Alta Planning + Design, 707 C Street, San Rafael, CA 94901, or mgjones@altaplanning.com. If possible, provide a description of the facility, location, and methodology.

Alta landscape architect Steve Durrant participated in three charrettes this summer in Oregon and Minnesota, contributing to timely input in upcoming projects where urban design and non-motorized transportation options will make a difference in long term community development and quality of life.

As a subconsultant to SERA Architects projects in Irrigon and Hood River, Oregon, Alta provided expertise in streetscape design, non-motorized connections, graphics, and landscape architecture for a site redevelopment in Hood River, an hour east of Portland on the Columbia River. This complicated property redevelopment project on the Historic Columbia River Highway (HCRH) alignment presented challenges for maintaining future potential for connecting the HCRH Trail between Mitchel Point and Hood River. Further east in Irrigon, the team addressed the location of a new city hall and library as catalysts for the development of a central business district in this small town on the Columbia River.

In a design charrette in Winona, Minnesota Mr. Durrant provided waterfront redevelopment expertise, landscape architecture, non-motorized transportation and graphic support to URS Corporation.

Similar charrettes will be conducted in the months ahead for a main street project in Mt. Vernon, Oregon, a property redevelopment in Redmond, Oregon, and waterfront industrial sites on the Willamette River in Portland.

For more information about Alta's design charrettes, please contact Alta Senior Associate Steve Durrant in our Portland office.

Alta is currently seeking to hire a Planner in our Berkeley, California office and a Planner and a Designer in our Portland, Oregon office. For detailed job descriptions and instructions for applying, please visit our website at www.altaplanning.com.

Elicia Cárdenas, Assistant - Portland, Oregon
Elicia Cárdenas provides project and administrative assistance in the Portland office. She also served as a Safe Routes to School bicycle instructor for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance for two years. She is currently the Vice-Chair for the Bicycle Advisory Committee for the City of Portland and the Volunteer Coordinator for SHIFT, a bike fun organization. Elicia holds a degree in stage management from Boston University, and also attended el Colegio de España, la Universidad de Valladolid, Portland State University, and Simon's Rock College of Bard. She has lived all over the country and in England as part of her theatre career, but is happy to be settled down in Portland.

The City of Santa Barbara has recently adopted the Santa Barbara Pedestrian Master Plan, the result of a four-year effort between the City and Alta's consultant team, which included David Parisi, RRM Design Group, and Penfield & Smith. The Plan includes a Sidewalk Infill program, recommended zoning code language, intersection improvement recommendations, a Paseo plan, pedestrian design guidelines, and a Safe Routes to School plan that includes walking route maps. For more information about the Pedestrian Master Plan, contact Rob Dayton at the City of Santa Barbara at 805-564-5390.

• 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.