City of Tigard, OR Improves Walkability and Overall Efficiencies

About the City of Tigard, OR

Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon. As of 2007, Tigard was Oregon's 12th largest city. Less than 10 miles from Portland, Tigard is part of the Portland Metropolitan Area, and close in proximity to Beaverton and Tualatin.  Interstate 5 and Oregon Route 217 are the main freeways in the City, with Oregon Route 99W and Oregon Route 210 serving as other major highways. The City is considered to be one of the best places to live in Oregon. Tigard has a population of about 50,000. The annual budget of the City totals at $183.8 million.

Challenge:

Prior to using State of Place, Tigard did not know where to begin in their data-driven walkability plan for their Tigard Triangle project. The process was cumbersome and error-prone. The City needed a tool that could conduct objective, robust assessments of existing walkability of the Tigard Triangle, and offer impactful recommendations to increase public approval.

Solutions:

Tigard was able to quantify the impacts of various development and planning proposals with respect to walkability, having employed State of Place’s all-in-one tool. The City ran the State of Place Index and Profile for every block in the Triangle, which also helped them identify specific geographic areas in which they should intervene. This was later applied in the Downtown, in order to have a local basis of comparison. Ultimately, Tigard, collaborating with State of Place, prioritized urban design improvements most likely to boost walkability and economic development.

Results:

Partnering with State of Place, Tigard was able to not only increase walkability, but also forecast:

• Economic premiums

• Value capture

• ROI