Portland's next 'green' challenge? Driving less, scholar says

Portland and Perth are birds of a feather.

Peter Newman, an environmental scientist and professor from that bustling southwest Australian city, has studied the growth patterns of both urban areas.

He notes that both are on pioneering west coasts, off the beaten path. Each had strong natural resource industries but more recently has focused on growth management and building alternative modes of transportation -- especially passenger rail systems.

"We are growing, both of us, but growing in a new way, growing in a way that can show the world that you can actually reduce fossil fuels whilst improving the quality of life," Newman said last week.

Newman visited Portland while gathering research for his next book on sustainability and urban growth. He spoke with The Oregonian before his lunchtime speech at the Metro Regional Center.

Here are excerpts, edited for length and clarity.

Most people tend to think of cities as being divorced from the natural environment. How can a city be a "sustainable" place?

We define sustainability in cities as reducing the ecological footprint whilst improving its livability. The ecological footprint is something that comes from the impact on the natural environment and the impact from the resources we consume. We're robbing from the atmosphere and the agricultural regions.

more from The Oregonian