Via Fast Company
Portland has long been one of the most celebrated cities in terms of planning and sustainability. Peter Calthorpe is one of the original pioneers of transit-oriented development. In this video, Calthorpe does a nice job of succinctly laying out the principles of transit-oriented development, namely walkability and diversity of population and land use.
Janet Cubar
I traveled to Portland, OR for a conference this summer and thought it amazing in terms of the various modes of transportation, the walkability and the varied architecture with small urban parks and interesting neighborhoods, local shops, etc. It would be wonderful to have that in Montgomery County, MD. Downtown Bethesda is a tiny version, but it would be only one small neighborhood within Portland. Getting from Rockville to Bethesda is unpleasant as is getting from Rockville to Downtown Silver Spring.