Frequently Asked Questions

Have additional questions that are not addressed below? Contact us at asktrec@pdx.edu

What deliverables should I expect, and how might they be useful?

Deliverables are the content produced from the students that you can expect to take with you to help develop your project. Not all accepted proposals will go through all three phases of classes. Which phase(s) your project will undergo will be discussed upon acceptance. Please keep in mind that these are classes tied to PSU's academic year.

Phase I - Active Transportation Planning course (Sept - Dec): 

• The students will work with you to develop community engagement plans, activity and behavior monitoring, data collection plans, and performance measures. Depending on the project, they may develop existing conditions, design alternatives, and cost estimates.
  These focus on the big picture vision for community through engagement plans and behavior monitoring (for example existing conditions and community engagement), before looking into some of the nuts and bolts you’ll need to implement the project itself (such as design alternatives). 

Phase II - Engineering Capstone or MURP Workshop (Jan - June): 

Engineering Capstone 

• The students will work with you to develop an engineering plan that includes design alternatives, traffic control plan, and other materials that can assist with city permitting process.
• These deliverables are useful in beginning conversations with the City, and gathering the materials necessary to obtain permits for the project. This last set of deliverables shifts the focus outward and helps to ease the bureaucratic components of the project.
• Graduate students in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program at Portland State University work in teams of 4-6 members to complete applied planning projects. 

MURP Workshop

• Graduate students in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program at Portland State University work in teams of 4-6 members to complete applied planning projects. 

What should I expect from the students?

First and foremost, this is an experiential learning opportunity for Portland State University students to engage in a real world problem. The students will maintain regular communication with you throughout the term, and will partially be working on deliverables on their own. It can be helpful to establish parameters with your student group during your first meeting around what level of communication you need. For specific deliverables, see the prior questions above. Please note that if your project moves through multiple phases, you will have a new group of students in each phase.

What level of commitment should I plan for?

Some of the most successful projects that have come from our program, such as Better Naito, have evolved over many years. It is up to you if you want to participate in Phase I and concentrate your efforts into just a few months, or if you have larger needs and want to spread it out over a year due to the complexity of the project. What you accomplish with the deliverables the students provide is up to you.

How can I use the seed money?

Up to $1,000 is available to assist participants with the planning and implementation of their projects. The seed money you receive for your project is intended to be used solely for community outreach throughout the different phases of the project and implementation of the final deliverable. These funds should be split evenly between the outreach and space activation. You may choose to use the funds to host community events related to the project, obtain promotional material, compensate volunteers, subsidize the cost of materials, etc.

Are there other organizations in the Portland metro area who can support my advocacy work?

We recommend reaching out to Oregon Walks, the Street Trust, Bike Loud PDX and/or the City Repair Project. Each of these organizations specialize in different areas of advocacy, active transportation, and resources.