This new service allows you to rent cars from real people in your neighborhood and/or earn money from renting your own car.  Worried about liability or security?  Each rental includes insurance, while drivers and vehicles are screened to meet eligibility requirements.  Renters are also allowed to leave feedback after each rental, making it easier for the next person to make an informed rental decision.  The service is incredibly easy and streamlined to use – reserve and access your rental car directly using your iPhone!

Each shared car takes 10 cars off the road and reduces personal carbon emissions by over 40%. As a member of Getaround, you help to reduce the negative impact that cars have on the environment.

Visit their website for more information and to sign up!

Jay Zidell, the president of Zidell Marine Corp., has confirmed publicly that he will develop the 30 riverside acres the Zidell family holds on both sides of the Ross Island Bridge.

The land will soon be home to buildings that complement the new incoming $1.4 billion MAX light-rail line to Milwaukie, two adjacent Oregon Health & Science University buildings and nearby South Waterfront mixed-use projects.  Zidell’s nephew Matt French will oversee the property’s development.  Zidell and the city are working on development agreements that will dictate uses for the land, currently zoned for commercial and industrial uses.  Possibilities include transit-oriented developments that offer a mix of office, housing, and retail sites.

Have you seen the hundreds of bicycles at the base of the Portland Aerial Tram? OHSU and its employees know the importance of cycling to work and the many transportation options within and to the district. Through incentives, subsidies, and convenient means to log trips, the folk at OHSU make using transportation options fun and rewarding. Over 2000 cyclists were served by OHSU’s services and the number is expected only to rise. To read more about their successes and what motivates these riders, check out the OHSU Bike Program 2011 Report.

Have you gone for a walk or bike ride on the newly redesigned SW Moody Avenue yet?  If so, you will have noticed the beautiful and spacious new pathways for cyclists (two directions) and pedestrians.  After months of construction and cramped pathways on Moody, it is a breath of fresh air.

Go behind the scenes on this guided walk and learn about the SW Moody Project, what was done and why, and what the future holds for SW Moody.  Chris Armes from the City of Portland will lead this informative walk.

Contact Pete Collins at 503-972-2830 or pete@southwaterfront.com for further information.

Wednesday, January 25, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Meet at South Waterfront Community Relations
Atwater Place, Unit 115
0841 SW Gaines Street, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Join us as we meet at South Waterfront Community Relations (address below) and go on an adventure to the Portland Japanese Garden.  We will combine streetcar, MAX, and trail walking to reach the garden, then go on a self-guided tour of our world famous Japanese garden.

The walk from Washington Park Max Station to the Portland Japanese Garden is approximately 2.4 miles round trip in length and includes steep and potentially muddy terrain.  Please wear sturdy shoes, dress in layers, and bring drinking water.

**Please RSVP to Heather Bayles at 503-972-3289 or heather@southwaterfront.com.

If you would like updates about walks, please join the South Waterfront Walks There Google Group at: http://groups.google.com/group/swfwalksthere.

Tuesday, January 17, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Meet at South Waterfront Community Relations
Atwater Place, Unit 115
0841 SW Gaines Street, Portland, OR Map It

WALK IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC; STREETCAR FARE WILL BE COVERED; MAX FARE IS $1 HONORED CITIZEN/$2.10 ADULT; JAPANESE GARDEN ADMISSION IS $7.75 HONORED CITIZEN/$9.50 ADULT.

Tired of all the acronyms?  In an effort to dispel some of the general confusion surrounding what the various organizations of the South Waterfront do and how they are related to one another, we have created a new South Waterfront Organization Chart.

Please contact South Waterfront Community Relations at communityrelations@southwaterfront.com with questions.

Metro and Kaiser Permanente have teamed up to bring you the Walk There! app.  The app features ten walks from the Walk There! guidebook that take you throughout the region, from Fort Vancouver to Wilsonville’s Graham Oaks Nature Park and from the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove to the Gresham stretch of the Springwater Trail.  Explore local communities, learn about the area’s rich history and get exercise while doing it.

Metro and Kaiser Permanente encourage active living.  Walking is one of the most effective ways to stay healthy, lose weight, and increase your energy level.  It’s also a great way to experience and enjoy the community as well as the natural beauty of the region.

Visit Metro’s website to get the app and get going!

This month’s walk will have a holiday bent and be lots of fun!  Join us as we meet at the Community Relations Townhome (address below) and walk to Pioneer Square to see the Christmas Tree and perhaps indulge in a hot beverage at Starbucks.  From there, participants may feel free to do some holiday shopping, walk up to 11th Avenue to ride the Streetcar home, or get extra credit for walking back to the South Waterfront.  All participants will be given a complimentary reusable shopping bag with a one-day Portland Streetcar Pass.

The walk from South Waterfront to Pioneer Square is approximately 2.1 miles in length and almost entirely flat.  Please wear sturdy shoes, dress in layers, and bring drinking water.

For further information contact Heather Bayles at 503-972-3289 or heather@southwaterfront.com.

If you would like updates about walks, please join the South Waterfront Walks There Google Group at: http://groups.google.com/group/swfwalksthere.

Tuesday, December 13, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Meet at Community Relations Townhome
Atwater Place, Suite 115
0841 SW Gaines Street, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Effective Sunday, December 4, Portland Streetcar will have schedule changes of up to 6 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, with one fewer early morning weekday trip in each direction, fewer trips throughout the day on Saturdays, and two additional trips in each direction Saturday evenings. View the preview schedule.

Didn’t get a chance to experience last month’s Streetcar Mobile Music Fest in person?  Watch a fascinating video about this unique and entertaining act of civic enthusiasm here.