User:Rexburkholder

Rex Burkholder

Rex Burkholder is a Metro Councilor in Portland, Oregon. Trained as a biologist at Portland State University, Rex Burkholder worked as a science teacher and in the Northwestern forests. He started the bicycling revolution in Portland, Oregon as a founder and policy director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. An early leader in sustainability and equity, Burkholder also co-founded the Coalition for a Livable Future, bringing together over 100 diverse NGOs in the greater Portland region. He was elected to the Metro Council in 2000, where he led efforts to reform regional transportation policy and to integrate climate change into the decisions of all levels of government in Oregon. He has served on key task forces as well as national boards including Rail~volution and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Recipient of numerous local awards, his work has been recognized internationally as well, being invited to speak in countries throughout Latin America on sustainable transportation and climate change. He was honored in 2011 as a Global Ambassador for Ciclovía, an international movement to reclaim cities from the automobile.

Work at Metro

Oversee agency responsible for regional land use and transportation planning along with regional services such as the | Oregon Convention Center, the | Oregon Zoo and Metro Parks System as well as regional solid waste disposal system.
Personal focus on transportation and land use. Chaired Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the region for 5.5 years. Founded statewide coalition of MPOs. Board member of national Association of MPOs (2008-2010). Introduced idea of Health Impact Assessments into regional planning regimen.
Council lead on Climate Change adaptation and mitigation strategies, including championing innovative Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory, | Climate Prosperity economic strategy, | GHG reducing land use and transportation scenarios and pioneering use of GHG emissions as evaluation criteria for mega-projects.
Council lead on strategic planning. Effort led to first outcomes based budget for agency and first broad set of outcomes for regional development used to guide all policy and investment decisions.
Led four-year collaborative effort to create first ever regional conservation education strategy, including securing over $1million annually for Outdoor School.
Led regional Conservation Education Task Force leading to creation of Conservation Education Leadership Council of The Intertwine, hiring of regional conservation education manager and $10Million center for Conservation Education at the Oregon Zoo.

Work at Bicycle Transportation Alliance

Founded and served as Policy Director of one of the most successful and effective statewide bicycle advocacy and promotion organizations in the country.
Successes included: persuading TriMet, the region’s transit provider, to become the first transit agency to have 100% of vehicles accessible to bicycles; establishing second largest bicycle event in North America--| BridgePedal; getting bicycle facilities included in all state, county and city road projects; Portland declared most bicycle friendly large city in North America five times by Bicycling Magazine; producing statewide bicycle and pedestrian conference.

Community Service

Responsible Urban Neighborhood Technology, Restored and operated energy conservation demonstration house in inner city Portland, Board member, 1981-1986
| Coalition for A Livable Future, unique coalition of 100 community groups focused on sustainability and social justice. Founding trustee, 1992-1999
Northeast Community School, innovative public/private middle school. Board member, 1995-1998
SW Washington Regional Transportation Council, MPO for Vancouver, WA area 2001-present
Rail~Volution National Steering Committee, a conference on transit and urban redevelopment. Member, 2007-present
| Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, ODOT. Appointed by Governor to two terms, 1989-1997, Chair 1993-1997
Oregon Transportation Plan Update, integrating climate change and urban development objectives for the first time. Advisory committee member. 2002-2003
Governor’s Committee on Climate Change Mitigation, Appointed by Governor, 2003-2005
Governor’s Committee on Climate Change Adaptation, Appointed by Governor, 2005-2008
| Oregon Metropolitan Planning Organization Consortium, Founder, board member, 2005-2009
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Board member, vice president, 2006-2009
Oregon Solutions: Division Main Street Project, Convener, 2007
| Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation Board, Portland College of Urban and Public Affairs, providing graduate-level training and research. Founding director, 2008-present.
Executive Council on Active Transportation, public-private group advocating for increased investment in walking and cycling in Portland region. Board member, 2009-present
Oregon Solutions: Gateway Green, Convener, 2010
State Transportation Strategy Committee on Greenhouse Gas Reduction, member, 2011-present
| First Stop Portland Advisory committee, hosting “policy tourists” interested in Portland’s innovations in sustainability and governance, board member and presenter, 2011-present

Awards

Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America, 1973
Regional Director’s Award, League of American Bicyclists, 1996
Most Effective Citizen, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 1998
Founder of the New Northwest, Sustainable Northwest, 1998
Alice B. Toeclips, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, 1999
Conservation Education Leader, Environmental Education Association of Oregon, 2005
Global Ambassador for Ciclovìa, Ciclovias Recreativas, Mexico, 2011

Education

BS Biology, Portland State University, 1984 MA Urban and Environmental Policy, Tufts University, 1989

Publications

The Value of Waste. Rain Magazine, 1981
Reducing Climate Impacts in the Transportation Sector. ‘Chapter 8: CO2 Reduction through Better Urban Design: Portland’s Story.’ Burkholder, Rex and Rose, Eliot. Eds. Cannon and Sperling. Springer, 2009: Boulder, Co.
Toward a Low Carbon Economy, Report to the German Marshall Fund as part of requirements of the GMF Urban and Regional Policy Fellowship. German Marshall Fund, 2011.
Cities and Climate Change: Metro and the Portland-metropolitan Area’s Experience. Atwater, Jessica and Burkholder, Rex. Taller para Autoridades Municipales: “Integración del cambio climático en los Planes de Desarrollo 2012-2015.” Fundacion Ciudad Humana, March, 2012

Selected Presentations

Bicycles and the Future: Keynote, ProBike/ProWalk, Portland, OR 1994
Creating Sustainable Regions: Keynote, Birmingham Livability Forum, Birmingham, AL 2002
Regional Governance Models, Cascadia Project of the Discovery Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia November 2003
Value Pricing of Transportation Experience in Oregon, Cascadia Project of the Discovery Institute, Redmond, Washington December, 2003
Regional Governance and Transportation Decision Making, Testimony to Washington State House Committee on Transportation, Olympia WA January, 2004
Smart Growth for Elected Officials, Partners for Smart Growth, Portland, Oregon, 2004
Regional Governance, Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Vancouver, BC, 2004
Land Use, Transportation and Climate Change, Asilomar Transportation Conference, Monterey CA, 2006
Urban Sustainability and Transportation, World Urban Forum, Vancouver, Canada 2006
Sustainable transportation, public health and climate change, Multiple conferences of the international network of Ciclovias Recreativas: Guadalajara, Mexico; Lima, Peru; Quito, Ecuador; Medellin Columbia, 2004-2011
Bicycling into the Future: Portland’s Story, Conference on Sustainable Transportation, Mexico, DF, 2006
Sustainable Transportation Planning, APTA conference on sustainable transit, Chicago IL July 2008
Climate Change, Transportation and Land Use: the Portland Experience, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC 2008
Climate Change, Sustainable Transportation and the Bicycle. Universidad Catòlica, Lima, Peru. 2008
Bicycling Culture in America’s Most Bicycle Friendly City. Inaugural Day Without Cars, Lima, Peru. 2008
Outcomes-based Regional Transportation Planning, Rail~Volution, Boston, MA. October 2009
Collaborative Approaches to Preventing Climate Change, Forlì, Romagna, Italy. 2011
Data Needs for Decision Making in States and MPOs, Transportation Research Board committee meeting, Newport, CA 2011
Forum: Greening Urban Development in Asia, Think City/Khazanah Nasional Sovereign Fund/World Bank, Penang, Malaysia 2012
Low Carbon Economy, Public Interest and Environment Law Conference, Eugene, OR 2012
Moving toward a Low Carbon Economy, WTS Seminar, Portland, OR 2012
Data and Community Change, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership Meeting, Portland, OR 2012
Sustainability Panel I: Jobs, Politics and Relationships, University Professional and Continuing Education Association, Portland, OR 2012