Portland Transport contributor Rick Browning will be giving a brown bag talk about his recent research trip to Japan:

About the presentation, Rick says:

I was the Architectural Foundation of Oregon’s (AFO) 2004 Van Evera Bailey fellowship recipient and my rather unconventional study (not watercolors in Tuscany, anyway) involved travel to 8 major and not so major Japanese cities to look at pedestrian-oriented aspects of streetscape design. This included landscaping, urban furnishings,
paving patterns, signage, lighting and storefront displays. Although far less studied than Europe, Japan’s bike/ walk mode splits are actually the highest among the “Group of Seven”, the post-industrial nations which together account for about two-thirds of the world’s economic output.

Attend a free presentation Thursday, Feb. 23, Noon to 1:15 PM at the Portland Building’s auditorium (1120 SW 5th Ave, 2nd floor) and thrill to exquisite storefronts, multi-story bike parking garages, shared sidewalks, sumptuous paving patterns, artistic wayfinding signage and LED encrusted plazas. Out of all of this – I will attempt to find some alternative ideas for current Portland street projects. Hope to see some of you there!

Here’s a flyer (PDF, 217K)…