Sundance Channel Premier:
Big Ideas for a Small Planet - Transportation

Alta Planning + Design Principal Mia Birk will be featured on Sundance Channel's original series "Big Ideas For A Small Planet" in the episode "Transport" airing Tuesday, May 27 at 9:00pm (see your local listings). The episode shows us how city governments, private organizations and university scientists are working to get commuters to leave their cars behind for cleaner, more efficient modes of transportation.

In her own words:
"I'd like to invite you all to watch "Big Ideas for A Small Planet" - 9 pm PST, May 27th, on Sundance. I love the title of the show, which evokes the inspirational 1990 Worldwatch booklet, Marcia Lowe's The Bicycle: Vehicle for A Small Planet, in which Lowe first noted the world's bikes outnumber cars two to one. I applaud Sundance for increasing environmental awareness and for their appreciation of bicycling as a simple but robust solution to a whole bunch of complex problems. If you don't get that channel, check out the short segment showcasing a home move by bike available on the Sundance website (link). Or if you're free, join me for a beer at Seven Corners Cycles, located at 3218 SE 21st Ave. at 6:00pm on Tuesday, May 27th. We'll be showing the segment and enjoying refreshments. The good folks at Sundance have given us one precious copy of the DVD, so if you'd like to borrow it, let me know!

"I am honored that Sundance is showcasing our success in making Portland so bicycle friendly, and that they chose to honor my contribution to integrating bicycling and walking into daily lives. It's been an amazing 18-year career ride, from my early years in Washington DC working on international transportation energy conservation issues, to my years as the City of Portland Bicycle Program Coordinator, to a decade leading Alta Planning + Design and teaching at Portland State University, to my various stints throughout the years with national and local organizations devoted to bicycle advocacy, research, professional progress, fitness, enjoyment, outreach, and fun. I feel utterly blessed to get up every day and work with such an excellent group of staff and colleagues, contributing to making our planet a healthier place to live.

"The bicycling culture we have created here is strongly highlighted in this show, as is our stellar bikeway network. Heartfelt thanks to the many people who contributed to the Sundance piece. First and foremost, thanks to the brilliant leaders at the Portland Office of Transportation. Along with our partners at the Parks Bureau, Metro, ODOT, Multnomah County, and TriMet, we have used determination, innovation, and devotion to build our bikeway system and attract thousands of residents to start cycling, while improving our safety and livability. Big thanks I also send to my friends at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Community Cycling Center, Cycle Oregon, and Portland State University. Amongst all these organizations, there are far too many individuals to call out by name, but you know who you are. Working all over the country as I do, I am acutely aware of how far we have come here in Portland through our investments in bicycle infrastructure and promotion, and how far we still have to go.

"Thanks to Timo Forsberg, Anna Sandys, and Benjamin Doyle who arranged the Move by Bike and special Breakfast on the Bridges, and all the SHIFTies, who have made Portland such a FUN place to ride a bike. Special thanks to Janis McDonald, Tori Bortman, and Jeff Smith for showing off our fabulous Women on Bikes program; sorry so little of it got onto the show. Thanks to my fellow school parents and youngsters, who turned out in droves that day so we could ride like a herd of turtles down to school. Thanks to Kristin Lundstroum and Steve Siddoway from Boise; I'm glad our bikeway system tour inspired you! Thanks to Corey Cartwright, for putting up with us filming at Seven Corners Cycles for two days. Thanks to my partners at Alta, for building this incredible company with me, and to our staff for their talent, dedication, energy, and camaraderie. Thanks to my friends Deena and Amy, for helping me show how women can look professional, sassy, and smart, in high heels and skirts, on a bike.

"Enjoy the show. Thanks for watching, and for working to make the world a more bicycle-friendly place!"

--Mia Birk

Air Date		Viewing Party
Tuesday May 27th 9:00pm EST/PST 8:00pm CST 10:00pm MST [Sundance Listings]	Transportation airs May 27th as part of the Sundance Channel's Big Ideas for a Small Planet	Tuesday May 27th 6:00pm Seven Corners Cycles 3218 SE 21st Ave Portland, OR [map]

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Our website, altaplanning.com, received a face lift this month. Along with the new look came more information on the services we provide and projects we've completed. Visit our Focus Areas and Technical Services pages for general information about our firm's capabilities and our highlighted accomplishments. The site also hosts a collection of resources such as the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project in our Project Links & Resources section. If you'd like to see what we're up to on a more frequent basis, visit the News section where you'll find current articles, newsletters, and an RSS Feed with the latest announcements.

If you'd like to see more on the website or have questions about accessing content, please contact Benjamin.

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Alta is a proud supporter of the World Carfree Network's eighth annual Carfree Cities Conference. This year the event, which raises awareness of the social, environmental, economic, and public health impacts of private cars, will be held in Portland, Oregon, marking the first time the conference series has ever been hosted in the United States. The theme of this year's conference is "Rethinking Mobility, Rediscovering Proximity" and intends to promote discussion of urban livability, mixed-use development, local agriculture, pedestrianization, strong neighborhoods, accessible public space, and sustainable transportation.

Planners Eric Anderson and Jessica Roberts are on the schedule to present. Mia Birk will address the conference during Tuesday's Public Day keynote presentation and introduce Gil Penalosa.

Registration is still open for the full conference and Public Day. For more information on the conference, programming schedule, and how to get involved please visit www.carfreeportland.org

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Congratulations Portland!! At an April 24th press conference, City Commissioner Sam Adams accepted the League of American Bicyclists' first large City Platinum designation through their Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Alta is proud to have been a key player in achieving this honor. As the City's Bicycle Program Coordinator from 1993-1999, Alta Principal Mia Birk developed Portland's celebrated Bicycle Master Plan and managed the public process, design and implementation of more than 160 miles of new bikeways (bicycle lanes, bike boulevards, shared lane markings, and shared use paths), thousands of bicycle parking spaces, and a bikeway maintenance program. Since 1999, the City of Portland has worked closely with Alta on a long list of projects. Most recently, Alta has been helping the Portland Office of Transportation Platinum Bicycle Master Plan Update, for which Alta helped developed two innovative GIS-analysis tools: Bikeway Quality Index (BQI) and Cycle Zone Analysis (CZA). In 2006, Alta led a groundbreaking study- Bicycle-Related Industry Growth in Portland, which received national attention in the New York Times and on National Public Broadcasting. From 2005 to today, Alta has managed the City of Portland Safe Routes to School Program technical service team. Currently Alta is helping Portland develop a regional trails network; designing numerous bikeways, trails, shared use paths, and greenways; helping to improve streetcar/bike interaction; and designing bicycle/pedestrian components of major bridges, interchanges, and roadways. In addition, Principal Mia Birk was a founder of Portland State University's Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation, through which Alta staff lead courses on on-street and off-street bikeway design, among other topics.

Portland is also home to a thriving bike culture and active communities of cyclists making the city a wonderful place to ride. See the recent Teams of Portland exhibit and this summer's Pedalpalooza calendar for just a few examples.

Visit the League of American Bicyclists' list of Portland's bicycling highlights to see what earned Portland their Platinum status.

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