At www.oregonmetro.gov/greatplaces, you can view interactive maps and download reports about each of 10 areas being considered.

The Urban Land Institute's Awards for Excellence seeks real estate development projects with a touch of the visionary, features that inspire, innovation that surprises, and efficiencies in design that reflect a conscious intent about how land, space and resources are used. The Burnside Rocket, a project of Metro's Transit-Oriented Development Program, was evaluated recently by a jury from the ULI. Learn more about the features that may put the Rocket in the running for this prestigious award.

Polling shows that residents support responses to climate change - depending on the wording. Regional leaders told that Portland-area residents wary of new rules to adapt to climate change, but support them for other reasons.

Harrington calls for more public involvement on Title 11 provisions; council will revisit affordable housing in 2011. The rest of the capacity ordinance passes; Community Investment Strategy adopted.

The state board tasked with reviewing the region's proposed urban and rural reserves put off its decision for a week, saying it still had questions about controversial proposed urban reserves near Forest Grove, Cornelius and Hillsboro.

Historically, the region added land to the urban growth boundary without making agreements about who would pay for or manage needed roads, bridges, pipes, parks and other public structures. Without plans or agreements in place, land added to the urban growth boundary often remains undeveloped for years. Metro and its partners are working to change that. At an April 28 dialogue convened by Metro, a committee of local elected and community leaders and citizen representatives will have an opportunity to weigh in on important questions that will shape how new communities develop in the future.

Metro today released the results of a public opinion survey designed to develop valid and statistically reliable information regarding the attitudes of residents about the quality of life in the region and growth management principles. Six hundred voters in the Metro region were randomly selected and interviewed on the phone between July 31 and Aug. 3, 2009. The margin of error for the survey is +/- 4 percent.