Workshop Series on Transportation Resilience and Recovery in the Portland/Vancouver Region

Join us this fall and winter as the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO) and Portland State University’s Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) jointly host a regional workshop series focused on transportation resilience and recovery. This series is intended to engage transportation planners, emergency managers, first responders, and public works employees about the current state of transportation resilience, response, and recovery efforts in the region and identify future opportunities for improvement. These workshops will provide valuable insights and explore opportunities to enhance current and future efforts in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region.

If you're interested in joining this workshop series, contact John MacArthur, TREC's Sustainable Transportation Program Manager.

Workshop #1: Transportation and Emergency Response

November 3, 2021, 1:00-2:30 PM
Credits: PDH: 1.5 | AICP: 1.5

The first webinar will explore recent experiences and lessons learned from the wildfire and winter storm events that Clackamas County experienced in 2020 and 2021 in order to inform gaps in evacuation planning and management, local-state-regional coordination, and opportunities to incorporate regional emergency transportation routes (ETRs) and transportation recovery plans and tools. The speakers, Mike Bezner (Assistant Director for Transportation for Clackamas County), Daniel Nibouar (Interim Deputy Disaster Management for Clackamas County) and Captain Brad O’Neil (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office) will discuss the issues, opportunities, and needs faced during these recent events as it relates to the intersection of transportation planning. The panel and participants will also discuss how these events could inform the second phase of the regional ETR project.

This 90-minute webinar is eligible for 1.5 hours of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We can provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

Workshop #2: Regional Transportation Resilience Investments and Plans 

December 8, 2021, 1:00-2:30 PM
Credits: PDH: 1.5 | AICP: 1.5
 The purpose of the second webinar is to share recent work at state, regional, and local levels to address transportation resilience needs in our region. This workshop will feature Mike Harryman (State of Oregon Resilience Officer) who will share key findings from the recent multi-modal transportation Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP) and recommended resilience enhancement options. Kim Ellis (Principal Transportation Planner for Metro) and PBOT (Mauricio Leclerc - Area & Project Planning Section Manager and Michael Serritella - Transportation Planner) will discuss transportation planning and frameworks in development, and how these efforts can drive planning and investment decisions to enhance transportation resilience.

This 90-minute webinar is eligible for 1.5 hours of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We can provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

Workshop #3: Transportation Recovery Planning Best Practices 

February / March (TBD) – In person at Portland State University

The third workshop will focus on the prioritization and tiering of transportation assets for evacuation, response, and recovery. The TREC team will provide a summary of previous work on the draft Portland Transportation Recovery Plan and current best practices in all-hazards transportation recovery planning, such as concepts of operations and governance structures. TREC team will also provide an orientation to the Portland Alternatives Prioritization (APT) Tool. The workshop will consist of exercises intended to help participants explore the prioritization and tiering of transportation assets, using a range of criteria including equity. The outcomes of the workshop will help RDPO transition to the second phase of the regional emergency transportation routes (RETRs) project and possible ways to inform the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).

If you're interested in joining this workshop series, contact John MacArthur, TREC's Sustainable Transportation Program Manager.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP HOSTS

The mission of the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO) is to build and maintain regional disaster preparedness capabilities in the Portland Metropolitan Region through strategic and coordinated planning, training and exercising, and investment in technology and specialized equipment. RPDO's vision is a secure and disaster-resilient region in which local agencies, organizations, and communities are coordinated and prepared to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards of great risk to the Portland Metropolitan Region.

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University is home to the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), and other transportation programs. TREC produces research and tools for transportation decision makers, develops K-12 curriculum to expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engages students and professionals through education. Sign up for our newsletter to receive monthly updates.