Report Finds Shorter Commutes in Portland

In a report commissioned by the nonprofit organization CEOs for Cities, economist Joe Cortright finds that the average vehicular commute in Portland, Oregon, is four miles (6 km) shorter than the national median of 24.3 miles (39.1 km) for metropolitan areas. This difference adds up to $2.6 billion per year in savings on travel expenses and time, and, although the money is hard to track, Cortright argues that commuters spend much of their out-of-pocket savings in the local economy on housing or entertainment. Cortright also finds that commuters in Portland are twice as likely as the average metropolitan resident to use public transportation to get to work and seven times as likely to use a bicycle. Finally, Cortright suggests that land development policies that encourage density, among other factors, have had a large impact on the average commute in Portland, and that these policies have also attracted residents who are more likely to desire dense neighborhoods and strong public transit systems. The full report is available at www.ceosforcities.org/rethink/research/.