Showing posts with label Portland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portland. Show all posts

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Cleveland: Most Sustainable City in Ohio.

Cleveland won for the most sustainable city in Ohio. Of the 50 named cities, it was a full 14 spots ahead of Columbus, the only other city in Ohio earning a rank. Portland, no surprise, was first; Minneapolis, also no surprise, was seventh. Cleveland ranked 16th, and Columbus 30th.

I usually think of Cleveland's skyline as rather uninspired, especially considering how many offices are empty downtown. However, the photo they caught was rather becoming.



I've always enjoyed visiting Cleveland, but I just could never live there. However, for a weekend trip it's a wonderful trip. Its rich history, fun city layout, beautiful location along the Lake and fantastic local restaurants all contribute for a great getaway from Columbus.

Monday, November 24, 2008

America's Best Cities for Cyclists.

I've previously commented on this site that I hate city lists. It just seems like certain magazines throw together a trite method to rank cities for unquantifiable things mainly just to get site traffic to click on their ads. (See: Forbes Magazine). However, Bicycle Monthly has announced their annual "best cities for bikers", and I think something like this is a bit more exciting than say, "best city to not have to wait too long in line for a sandwich". Instead of simply ranking cities by number of doctors offices, this article reviews national policy and how it affects bikers.

Columbus was ranked as the best future cities for bikers. The biking community is growing here, and our green mayor, Michael Coleman, is certainly working to expand bike and pedestrian transportation. Especially considering projects like The Scioto Mile, things are looking good for Columbus. Ever since I have lived here I have noticed more and more bikers on the road, as well as improvements along our bike paths. With everything being so close together, I think Columbus is one of the best cities in America to live/walk/bike in.

Minneapolis was ranked as the second highest percentage of people who commute to work by bike and a runner-up for most improved. (Portland, Oregon took the number one spot with 3.5% of their work force commuting by bike.) Minneapolis has an incredible system called The Greenway, which is set up like a highway for bikes. Although I haven't spent much time on it, my friend Lindsey has and she swears by it.

The cities named the best for bikers were Portland, Seattle, Chicago, San Franisco and Boulder. Among the most improved were Boston, New York and Washington D.C.. Across the board there has never been a better time to be a biker!