Tag: James Alexander Page

Meet CPW GTF: Alex Page

Posted on by Julia Havens

Name:  James Alexander PageJames Alexander Page Community Planning Workshop GTF University of Oregon
Alias:  Alex

Where were you born and where do you call home?
I was born in Santa Cruz, CA. I still call Santa Cruz my home—much of my family still lives there. But I lived in San Francisco for years, so it’s sort of easier and truer to myself to say the Bay Area.

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
Tortillas, pickled jalapenos, a big block of cheddar and leftover cranberry-
horseradish relish. 

In which graduate program are you enrolled? Area of concentration? 
I’m earning a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning. My focus is on sustainable transportation.

What Community Service Center program(s) are you working with?  
I’m working with the Community Planning Workshop (CPW) to monitor parking and transportation mode splits for the Matthew Knight Arena. It’s part of a conditional use permit to evaluate the impacts of games and events on the neighborhood. I’m also assessing consumption and demand for locally-produced foods for the Willamette Food and Farm Coalition. We’re developing indicators and acquiring the metrics to understand if local food consumption is rising, and to get a clear picture of why. 

What are some of the outcomes you hope to gain when your project ends?
I hope that working with the Matthew Knight Arena will give me some transferable skills around transportation planning and to better understand the habits, incentives, and politics around sustainable transportation options.

How does your involvement with the Community Service Center relate to or inform your education?
How doesn’t it? I believe that transportation and land use are intertwined and that increasing density can make cities more livable for urban populations. I want to see more transportation options for communities because the current paradigm of automotive culture is killing us, socially and physically. My work with the Matthew Knight Arena studies these ideas and should help inform me about behaviors and barriers in regard to sustainable transportation.

What advice would you give to your younger self just beginning the CSC program?
Advice will only get you so far. Experience is worth its weight in gold, so strap in and learn through your successes and failures.

Sleep in or get up early? 
Well that depends on a lot of factors, and I’m not about to get into the specifics. But generally, I burn the candle at both ends.

“What in the world is a DRT?”

Posted on by Julia Havens

Joshua Bruce Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience OPDR Interim Director
Josh Bruce, OPDR Interim Director, tears out the gate with a loaded emergency vehicle at Eugene’s first Disaster Relief Trials.
Photo Credit: Ethan Jewett

Eugene kicked off its inaugural Disaster Relief Trials (DRT) on October 12th, with 40 participants and over a dozen sponsors. One of those sponsors was our very own Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (OPDR). But you’re probably asking yourself, “What in the world is a DRT?” You’re not alone.

Disaster Relief Trials were spawned in Portland, Oregon in 2012. They combine the excitement and competition of a bicycle race, with the utility of cargo bicycles. The purpose of the race is to show how bicycles can be used in post-disaster response. Riders complete a series of tasks at various checkpoints while carrying essential cargo for first responders.

Riders for Eugene’s DRT event had to ride 20 miles with 20 pounds of food, 5 gallons of water, 5 gallons of dirt, and 2 eggs (to symbolize precious medical supplies for those in need). One of the stops included a bicycle-powered generator and satellite internet connection to assist riders in sending messages to the “outside world” after the Cascadian earthquake leveled communication networks.

While riders ranged in age, their bikes were probably the most diverse thing about the event. With riders allowed to use whatever pedal-powered machine to participate in the event, spectators were exposed to some creative rigs, including Long Hauls from Human Powered Machines built right here in Eugene (the winning bicycle as well).

Josh Bruce, Director of OPDR raced in the event on his Surly Big Dummy. While the event attracted lots of cargo bicycle enthusiasts from the area, like Josh, it also garnered some support from Portland’s DRT racers, including Cory Poole who finished the event on a skateboard with a custom trailer attached.

It was a unique event, something that you would only expect in the funky Northwest. If you want to learn more about this event, visit the facebook webpage or read the about it in Eugene Weekly’s recent article, Climate is the Disaster.

James Allexander Alex Page Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience OPDR University of Oregon About the Author: Alex Page is a graduate student in Community and Regional Planning at the University of Oregon. He’s researching how communities can incorporate bicycles into local disaster response.