Portland as an illustration of the best (planning/infrastructure) and worst (how the hell to fund transit) in transportation planning

Governing Magazine has an article, " Portland Struggles to Remain a Leader in Public Transit," on the conundrum faced by Portland, Oregon, poster child for great transportation planning, coordinated land use planning, vision, etc. in the United States, but how the transit system is facing massive service cuts and fare increases because the system's funding sources (primarily a withholding tax on wage income) have diminished significantly during the recession, to the point where the city's heralded fareless square--free transit downtown--is facing extinction.

This dire financial situation is not unique, as most every transit system across the country, whether it is expanding its footprint or not, faces similar budgetary exigencies.

The issue also has a web-only photo feature on the Portland aerial tram.

Governing Magazine photo by David Kidd. The Portland Aerial Tram, which runs between the city’s South Waterfront district and the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus, is part of Portland's public transportation network that includes the Portland Streetcar, MAX Light Rail and TriMet buses. This is only the second commuter aerial tramway in the United States. The Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City is the first. Fearing lower property values and possible loss of privacy, many residents of the neighborhoods under the tram opposed the tram’s construction, but those fears appear to have been groundless. The two Swiss-built cars opened to the public in January 2007.