The Next Generation in Transportation

Sparking an interest in transportation can start early, and we are always looking for ways to engage students in transportation before they reach college.

In recent years, many organizations are seeking to increase interest in careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) through creative engagement. Through nationally-funded research, we support new curriculum and programs that introduce middle- and high-school students to transportation concepts and careers. Some of those programs include:

Transportation is an interdisciplinary industry, and it needs the diversity of perspectives and lived experiences in the workforce to address mobility issues our communities face. To that end, we seek to increase the number of women and students of color in transportation-focused degree programs by creating a welcoming and engaging space for them early on.

 

Get updates on K-12 programs and events

 

Free Summer Transportation Camps for Oregon High Schoolers

Hosted at Portland State University every year since 2015 - our transportation camp, free and open to any Oregon student entering the 9–12 grade, offer an immersive introduction to transportation careers and the workings of transportation systems in Portland. Students will work in groups to solve a real-world transportation problem, develop data collection and STEM skills, and go on daily field trips.

Each summer the camp has adapted to fit the needs of the program that year (length, online vs. in-person, day camp vs. residential, girls only vs. all genders). Learn more about our summer high school camps here, and stay tuned for details about 2022.

 

 

Teach Transportation in Your Classroom: K-12 Curriculum

How Walkable is Your Neighborhood?

Originally designed by TREC staff for our annual summer high school camps, we're now offering this set of four modules "How Walkable is Your Neighborhood?" for any educator to teach in their classroom. No transportation background required!

These modules will provide students with creative ways of observing transportation systems in their neighborhoods through collecting pedestrian data, critically evaluating accessibility, and learning about livable communities. They will gain a deeper understanding of how people move through their community, and whether the transportation in their community is designed with the needs of all people in mind. Students will take this critical lens into their final projects where they will propose a vision for increasing transportation safety, accessibility, and livability in their community. 

The four consecutive modules in this toolkit are meant to be facilitated in sequence with 3-5 days in between, as they build upon each other. The modules can be adapted as stand alone lessons if needed. Educator instructions are provided, as well as printable student instructions:

  • Module 1: Observations by Foot
  • Module 2: Collecting the Data
  • Module 3: Crossing at the Intersection
  • Module 4: Final Project
  • Bonus Optional Activities: Transit Budgeting; Transportation Bingo
  • The full curriculum set can be downloaded here. 

Big and Awesome Bridges of Portland and Vancouver

Through funding from the U.S. DOT's UTC program, in 2014 we helped sponsor the development of this amazing, local resource for teachers and young readers: Big and Awesome Bridges of Portland and Vancouver book. It’s got bridge history, STEM knowledge, hands-on activities, and interviews with staff at Oregon DOT, Washington DOT, Multnomah and more. Know a budding bridge aficionado in your life? They need this book!

New to 2021: it’s now also available as an e-book!

From the publisher: “The big & awesome bridges of Portland & Vancouver is a book that gets young people excited about science and engineering and provides teachers a comprehensive resource for developing engaging elementary school units of study, all through an exploration of one of the most diverse and historic collections of big river bridges in the world."

THE PEOPLE

Program Staff

PSU Faculty and Class Instructors

Additional PSU faculty, staff and students have supported the class projects over the years. The current core faculty leading the classes include:

PSU Students: Engineering and Planning

Civil engineering and urban planning students have helped to shape many of the inspiring ideas from the community, given form and function for real world application. Many of those alumni are now transportation professionals in the Portland Metropolitan area! Learn more about studying transportation at Portland State University.

Better Block PSU Project team members, community partners and volunteers

There are many partners involved in the projects themselves that are shepherded through the Better Block PSU pathway program at PSU. See each project to learn more about the people involved.

And, there is a long history of volunteers that have supported the implementation of Better Block PDX projects since 2013!

THE PROGRAM PARTNERS

Portland State University

Through the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University, this program connects planning and engineering student expertise with community advocates. This exchange of knowledge is also an opportunity for students to tackle a real transportation and/or placemaking challenge in the local community. The Pathway program provides a practicum experience for PSU students, increases capacity for community organizations, and has been successful at influencing policy and leading to permanent changes in Portland’s streetscape — most notably the Better Naito project. A total of fifteen projects have been shepherded through the Pathway since 2015, including four that will be built in the first phase of the City of Portland’s Central City in Motion plan that kicked off in Summer 2019.

Better Block PDX

Better Block PDX is a volunteer-led effort encouraging everyone to imagine what spaces could be when they are designed for people. We partner with community organizations, Portland State University, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and you to create inviting and interactive places through tactical urbanism “pop-up” projects. "Most close watchers of the Portland transportation world have heard of Better Block PDX," BikePortland's Jonathan Maus wrote in February 28, 2019. Better Block PDX won the "Spirit of Portland" award in 2017.

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 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning course (April - June): 

  • The students will work with you to develop community engagement plans, activity and behavior monitoring, data collection plans, and performance measures.
  • These focus on the big picture vision for community through engagement plans and behavior monitoring. These are meant to assess the current activity of the project site, to give you a base to then form your future plans. Since community engagement overlaps all phases, it is important that we start out with engagement in Phase I. 

Phase II -Active Transportation Planning and Design Studio (Sept - Dec):

  • The students will work with you to develop existing conditions, design alternatives, and cost estimates.
  • The deliverables in Phase II are meant to build upon Phase I, but with more of a technical lens. These deliverables will provide you with more of the nuts and bolts you’ll need to implement the project itself, including the anticipated cost. During this phase, you will move from theory into more of the practicalities of your project. 

Phase III - Engineering Capstone (Jan - June): 

  • 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.

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 to implement this summer, and concentrate your efforts into just a few months, or if you have larger needs and want to spread it out over a year or two 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.

How will COVID-19 impact this process?

Your involvement with the students may be in person or through Zoom. There may be an opportunity for physically distant site visits to occur. Traditionally, Better Block projects have had a strong in-person element because of the emphasis on community building and placemaking.

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.

PAST PROJECTS

See recent Better Block PSU related news, or download this report from Better Block PDX - recapping the project accomplishments and milestones from 2013 through 2018.

The partnership between Better Block PDX advocates and Portland State University students is most well known for the success story that is Better Naito in Portland, Oregon. In 2015 a group of PSU civil engineering students dedicated their Senior Capstone to re-designing this roadway to improve safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians. The students partnered with Better Block PDX to secure a $10,000 grant from Clif Bar and People for Bikes to help buy materials to install the pilot project. Fast forward to today, it is a full-fledged city project. See coverage of this evolving street transformation since 2015 on BikePortland.org.

CURRENT PROJECTS

These projects are currently engaged in a phase of the Better Block PSU project pathway.

  • (2025) Bridgeless Burnside: As plans move forward for an earthquake-ready replacement of Portland's Burnside Bridge, several Portland neighborhood associations and the Better Block PSU program are taking the opportunity to reimagine a segment of West Burnside street.
  • (2025) International School of Portland: Students are working to improve walking and biking access to a campus serving nearly 400 students from preschool to fifth grade.
  • (2025) South Sheridan Street: PSU students are working to improve walking and biking access to the campus of the International School of Portland.
  • (2024) Steel Bridge Skatepark: Portland's Old Town neighborhood is getting a new skatepark, and a team of PSU transportation students were instrumental in bringing the project from idea to reality.
  • (2023) Washington County Intersection Redesign: This project, led byWashington County Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Shelly Oylear, engaged PSU students in the redesign of an intersection in Washington County.
  • (2023) Living Streets Project: Building on the 2022 "Car Free Zones in Downtown Portland" project, a PSU student team developed a new "living streets" concept for Portland's city center.

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

The Better Block PSU program at Portland State University (PSU) has an annual call for community organizations to reimagine their streets and underused public spaces in a way to bring people together and reclaim it for their community’s future.

Download the 2025 Better Block Request For Proposals (RFP)

When an RFP is open, community members can fill out the "Better Block PSU Project Inquiry Form" to submit their project idea. Here are some of the questions included:

  1. What is the location of your proposed Better Block project?
  2. What is this place like currently?
  3. What steps (if any) have you already taken around this project?
  4. What ideas do you have for re-imagining this space?
  5. Do you know of any existing partnerships or events that could help leverage this project?
  6. Who are the local leaders and champions for this idea?

Learn more about "pop-up projects": Better Block PDX created a handy visual guide to pop-up projects which you can download here.

Want to be updated about Better Block project news? Join the Better Block PSU email notification list.

Better Block PSU: a Partnership Program

Better Block PSU is a partnership program between the volunteer-led group Better Block PDX and Portland State University - encouraging everyone to imagine what spaces could be when they are designed for people. Local community partners can submit their project ideas to be considered at any time. These projects promote equitable placemaking, community building, and active transportation advocacy.

Integrated into PSU planning and engineering classes, PSU students support community members with the technical aspects of infrastructure improvements–elevating and materializing their ideas by developing plans, designs, and engineering concepts. It’s a shift from the status quo with a ground-up approach, and their transportation expertise can help community members in navigating the permit process or proposing informed solutions to the city.

BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN CURRICULUM RESOURCES

The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at PSU is committed to teaching university students the latest available information on multimodal, active, equitable and safe transportation and urban design. Developed as part of various university transportation courses, the below curriculum modules help to further this objective.

Curriculum ModuleDescriptionDeveloped byMaterials for Download
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master PlansCreating a Master Plan for bicycling and pedestrians is one of the first steps in achieving active transportation goals. This module explores the unique needs of pedestrians and bicyclists and the elements present in a complete Master Plan. Steps to creating the Master Plan and the components that make up a plan will be explained. Example plans from other cities will be explored to highlight these components.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Three Assignments, and Related Resources
Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs and Design MovementsThere is an array of programs and initiatives within the fields of transportation, planning and public health that relate to or support pedestrian and bicycling policies and infrastructure, and education and encouragement programs. This module will introduce different movements in transportation and design that lend themselves to more bicycle and pedestrian oriented planning.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, and Related Resources
Bicycle Facility DesignBicycle facilities range from conventional bike lanes to coordinated wayfinding systems, all acting to improve the safety and comfort of bicyclists. This module will review different types of facilities available to jurisdictions to improve their bikeway network. They are drawn from international best practices and this module gives an overview of when and how they can be used. There are two separate lectures, one focused on types of facilities and the second focused on bike parking only.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Three Assignments, and Related Resources
Data CollectionThis module will review some of the methods and reasons behind conducting research on bicycle and pedestrian planning. Research on bicycle and pedestrian planning helps answer questions about behavior, needs, and will help set benchmarks to determine the progress and success of a program. From answering questions about users to facilities, this research can improve the outcomes of a bicycle or pedestrian facility and network.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, and Related Resources
Education and Encouragement ProgramsThis module looks at ways different organizations are educating and encouraging youth to be safe bicyclists and pedestrians. Education and encouragement activities for this age group take a variety forms and intend to impart healthy habits for life. Since children see, hear, and process information differently than adults, education programs must be crafted specifically with the child’s developmental ability in mind.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Three Assignments, and Related Resources
History of Bicycle and Pedestrian PlanningThis module will begin by looking at the history of bicycle and pedestrian travel, or active transportation, and ways in which it has been designed and funded in the United States. Active transportation choices have economic, health, and environmental benefits which makes it increasingly relevant to communities across the United States today. Finally, there will be a discussion on different organizations and institutions which are collaborating and working on improving bicycle and pedestrian transportation.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Assignments, and Related Resources
Pedestrian Facility DesignPedestrians can be viewed as the foundation of the transportation system as essentially every trip begins and ends with pedestrians. This is a diverse group with different facilities needs. There are four primary design elements for pedestrians that will be discussed. Strengths of different facility types, how to plan for the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and theories such as Universal Design will all be discussed to give planners and advocates a better idea of how to create a welcoming pedestrian environment.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, and Related Resources
Trail DesignTrails are increasingly being used as a vital component to the bicycle and pedestrian network and are seen as an asset to the community. Traditionally, trails in communities were primarily for recreational purposes. Now they are providing needed connections between communities and a safe place to ride. This module will look at the variety of trail types and what components are necessary for a successful trail project.Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSUCurriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, A Form For Collecting Counts, and Related Resources
Transportation Facilities DesignThis is a class required for students acquiring a graduate degree in transportation engineering. It introduces common facility design concepts for transportation infrastructure. Karen Dixon, Ph.D., Oregon State UniversityCurriculum Report: Syllabus, Reading Lists, Instructions For Class Projects, Lectures Notes and Supplemental Materials
Bike & Ped Engineering CurriculaThis is a slide deck offering an overview of how to integrate bicycle and pedestrian topics into transportation engineering curriculum, both in the classroom and in the professional sphere.

Miguel Figliozzi, Ph.D., PSU

Chris Monsere, Ph.D., P.E., PSU

Lessons Regarding Projects For The Classroom & Connecting With The Profession
Misc - History of Bike & Ped Planning and EngineeringThese presentations offer a brief historical synopsis of the emergence of bicycle and pedestrian-oriented transportation planning, both in general as well as specific to Portland, Oregon.

Susan Mason, Ph.D., Boise State University

Peter Koonce, P.E., PSU

Bicyclist Planning For Engineering 108 

Brief History Of Portland Pedestrian And Bicycling Evolution Part #1 

Bicycle & Pedestrian Design And Planning Topics For

Curriculum Part #2 Bicycle Design And Planning Topics For Curriculum Part #3 

Bike & Ped CountingThese materials provide templates for recording counts of bicycles, pedestrians, and motorists, and their turning movement counts (TMC), as well as a presentation on bike/ped count programs.Krista Nordback, Ph.D., P.E., PSU


 

USP 465-565 Ped & Bike Planning LectureThis class examines the importance of walking and bicycling as means of transportation that equitably advances health, economics, access, and quality of life. We will consider the possibilities when politics, policies, planning, projects, programs and people focus on prioritizing our public ways for people. We will draw heavily on Portland’s experience, but also include research and practices from other US and international cities. Drusilla van Hengel, Ph.D., PSUSyllabus, Readings, and Curriculum Modules
CE 493-593 Bike & Ped InfrastructureDesign and operational concepts in the engineering design of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. This course covers on-road and shared path locations. Specific topics include design details of bikeways, basic geometric design, intersection and signalization considerations, and ADA requirements supporting non-motorized modes.Chris Monsere, Ph.D., P.E., PSURequest Access to this Google Drive Folder for Assignments, Design Guides, Projects, and Instructor Resources.
    
CE 351 Transportation SystemsThis course is an introduction to the principles of transportation engineering with a focus on highway engineering and traffic analysis. Topics include vehicle fundamentals and road vehicle performance, geometric design, pavement design, and fundamentals of traffic flow and queuing theory. Linkages beyond the highway mode are included.Avinash Unnikrishnan, Ph.D., PSUSyllabus, Reading List, Course Objectives and Resources

The curriculum modules and resources shared here are offered to you conditioned on your acceptance without modifications of the Terms. Your use of the curriculum modules constitutes your agreement to all such Terms.

  • To reproduce or make copies of the modules: any reproductions or copies must contain proper attribution to the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University, and at a minimum, the TREC logo.
  • To distribute the modules or module adaptations: any reproductions or copies must contain proper attribution to TREC, and at a minimum, the TREC logo. 
  • To create and reproduce adaptations (work based on the curriculum modules): provided that any such adaptations or changes, including any translation in any medium, takes reasonable steps to clearly label, demarcate or otherwise identify that changes were made to the original modules. For example, a translation could be marked "The original curriculum modules were translated from English to Spanish." If significant adapations are made (e.g. language translation) that may benefit other users, please contact us at asktrec@pdx.edu to determine whether this update could be added to the project resources.

EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION

Experiential Learning in the Classroom

To create the transportation system of the future, investing in bike-ped education at the university level is just as important in investing in active transportation facilities and projects. At Portland State University we offer a wide range of transportation courses, degrees and programs, including a transportation certificate program. TREC is also home to the Better Block PSU university-community partnership program that connects PSU students to real world projects that promote equitable placemaking, community building, and active transportation advocacy.

Teaching the Teachers

Through our IBPI program, we’ve trained 94 transportation faculty members in an annual workshop to learn how to integrate bike-ped topics into their university courses.

Study Abroad in the Netherlands

Our two-week Portland State University course (4 credits) offers an immersive experience to explore the Dutch approach to cycling, transit, innovative mobility and land use. The curriculum provides a comparison between U.S. and the Netherlands problems, priorities, and solutions. Specific emphasis on planning and engineering principles, policy, and practice will be explored through field trips, tours and guest lectures, while visiting Utrecht, Amsterdam, Delft, and Houten. Primarily hosted for university students, this experience is also open to transportation professionals.