The Intertwine is an Economic Force
Portland area companies are using the region’s natural assets to build globally competitive businesses.
Many sectors of the Portland economy benefit from our region's cutting-edge active transportation and green infrastructure facilities.
Employers are locating to and expanding in the Portland region because of our reputation as a leader in and exporter of sustainability.
The quality of life afforded the region’s residents, in large part due to excellent access to nature, is a driving force in companies, big and small, choosing to do business here.
Implementating The Intertwine’s vision of a regional network of interconnected parks, trails and natural areas has a myriad of benefits that have significant, tangible economic benefits for the region.
The Intertwine Alliance was formed with the intention to include not only public and nonprofit organizations invested in greening the region, but also the numerous private businesses that see green infrastructure as key to their bottom line here in our region. The inclusion of private business partners in the Alliance has strengthened our cause and helped guide The Intertwine vision towards a healthy, sustainable region that is economically vibrant and prosperous.
Keen Footwear has been an avid sponsor of The Intertwine Alliance since the beginning. The athletic company, which relocated to Portland in 2006, understands the importance of a sustainable, thriving region and the role that The Intertwine Alliance plays in making local businesses economically competitive. The Portland Development Commission noted that Keen and other businesses in the athletic apparel sector represented a “signature industry” for the Portland region, noting that many in the industry believe that “The Portland region’s physical environment and emphasis on sports, outdoor recreation and active living are strong complementary assets for this industry.” Investment in our park systems, our trails, and opportunities for residents to connect to nature directly link to our quality of life and an economic competitive advantage to spur future growth in these fields. Similarly, our region has become home to a thriving set of bicycle-related businesses. Many local groups are directly involved with what Oregon Business Magazine described in 2009 as the region’s “bicycle industrial complex;” Alta Planning and the Portland Bureau of Transportation in 2008 commissioned a study that found bicycle-related industries represented up to 1150 jobs and $90 million of economic activity for the city, up 38% since their 2006 study.
Intertwine Alliance partner businesses located in our region such as Alta Planning, Walker-Macy Landscape Architects and Mayer/Reed also see the opportunities that increased investment in greenways, natural spaces and parks provides to their businesses. Investment in park planning, construction and maintenance represent significant opportunities for local jobs with local firms here in our region; one study noted that investment in biking and walking infrastructure produced much larger economic impact to the local community by creating the most jobs per dollar of investment, compared to auto-oriented transportation projects. Intertwine partner Cycle Oregon, famous for their yearly recreational bike event around the state, has been investing proceeds from the Cycle Oregon Fund to increase bicycle advocacy, particularly in communities that host the annual ride, and has been leading initiatives to connect trails in our community to farther destinations such as Mt. Hood and the Oregon Coast.
The economic benefit of The Intertwine also promotes a thriving urban form that makes our region’s citizens more productive and healthier — making our region more appealing for economic development. Some studies suggest that the health benefit per-mile of active transportation is _____, which makes investments in biking and walking facilities super effective at helping our region's businesses employ healthy, active people.(LINK) Academic studies also indicate that investment in parks, active transportation routes and natural areas raises nearby property values (LINK), benefitting nearby communities, and provide massive returns on investment through their value in ecosystem services.
These investments in green infrastructure stand to make government expenditures more cost-effective, to stimulate local economic development, and to make our region a more attractive place for private businesses to relocate, expand, and prosper. Changing the way we think about green infrastructure and building nature into our communities has significant opportunities to help save rate-payers money and to make our communities more desirable places to live. The City of Portland's Tabor to the River project, which uses trees and wetlands to manage excess stormwater runoff, will save the city's ratepayers $58 million in water treatment costs while improving local water quality and watershed health. These cost-effective investments make our region more economically competitive, more adaptable to potential climate-change related disasters, and more desirable places to live.