For nearly two decades, Vancouver Washington has been an escape valve for the Portland area. Growth management has made Portland housing unaffordable, so families have fled to Vancouver. Transportation planning has made Portland congested, but Vancouver traffic is far better.
Now, the Portland Oregonian suggests that Vancouver should voluntarily come under the umbrella of Portland’s growth management. Metro, Portland’s regional dictator planning agency, is in charge of growth management, transportation planning, and greenspace administration. “We can’t envisage three more critical, and more connected, responsibilities,” says the Oregonian, without admitting that Metro has screwed up all three of them.
