Here’s another interesting find forwarded to us from a BFOC fan:

Portland, Oregon

Population (2008)
– City 575,930 (30th)
– Density 4,199.17/sq mi (1,640.30/km2)
– Metro 2,159,720

Dallas, Texas

Population (2008)
– City 1,240,499 (9th largest)1,300,350 NCTCOG Est. 2,008
– Density 3,605.08/sq mi (1,391.9/km2)
– Metro 6,145,037 (4th largest)6,538,850 NCTCOG Est. 2,008

What does this mean? Portland’s density (1,640.30/km2) is only slightly greater than Dallas (1,391.9/km2), and when compared to cities like San Francisco (6,688.4/km2) and Chicago (4,816/km2), we’re both well under what is typically considered a dense urban environment. Given that Portland is considered the “Bike Capital of the US”, it’s a promising sign for our own city.

“Our story is build it and they will come. We’ve built it and we now are approaching 6-8% mode split.”

– Roger Geller, Bike Coordinator for Portland