Mayor Jack Hoffman of Lake Oswego, Mayor Pattie Galle from West Linn and Interim Mayor Pete Truax of Forest Grove accompanied Metro Councilors Robert Liberty and Kathryn Harrington along with city councilors and staff from metro area cities in a three day tour of Vancouver, British Columbia, last weekend. The trip, organized by Metro Councilor Robert Liberty, was intended to showcase best practices in urban design and development.
The tour group spent a day with University of British Columbia professor Patrick Condon touring Vancouver's many innovative mixed use and multifamily developments along its major corridors. The second day the group, led by Simon Fraser University professor and former Vancouver city councilor Gordon Price, used Vancouver's SkyTrain to visit the region's thriving suburban centers.
"The opportunity to see the multitude of rich urban design solutions that might be used in our own communities and support the 2040 Growth Concept was excellent," said Hillsboro Current Planning Manager Colin Cooper. "In addition, it was very motivating and thought-provoking to spend the time with a group that is dedicated to creating livable communities." On Sunday the group had the opportunity to visit the site of the Olympic Village, a LEED certified infill development being constructed for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.