The Indigo, a green building in Portland, USA
Experts come from all over the world to study "the case of Portland": for forty years, this metropolis on the west coast of the United States has been thinking green, eating green, driving green...A report by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel (photos) and Nathalie Villard (text)Launch the slideshow on PortlandFind the entire report in the October 2011 issue of GEO magazine (n°392) Photo 1 / 10 - Inaugurated in 2009, the Indigo is a twenty-three-storey office and residential building. Its roof is equipped with four wind turbines that generate the energy needed for the lifts. For architects specialising in sustainable development, Portland has become "the place to be". The city already has 150 certified green buildings, including the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt, a federal building under renovation. This is the highest number (in proportion to the number of inhabitants) in the United States. And soon a landmark building will be built: the Oregon Sustainability Center. It will be the first building on American soil that will not emit any CO2, will not produce any waste and will be completely self-sufficient in energy and water.Next photo: Farmer's market
Farmer's market in Portland, USA
Photo 2 / 10 - An exception in the land of McDonald's: here, fast food is not welcome. In Portland, open-air markets offer fresh produce sold by those who produce it, often ex-city dwellers. Unusual in the US. Over the past ten years, twenty or so farmer's markets have sprung up in downtown Portland.Next photo: Community gardens
Community gardens in Portland, USA
Photo 3 / 10 - Community gardens, run by neighbourhood committees, are proving popular. There are already forty of them and the city council authorises seven to eight more each year. They are on the ground or on the roofs of car parks: Pedestrians and cyclists
Pedestrians and cyclists in Portland, USA
Photo 4 / 10 - A typical morning on the Hawthorne Bridge, heading towards downtown. Portland has 20% fewer motorists than similar-sized cities in the US. Thousands of Portlanders have given up the wheel to walk or cycle to work: Aerial tram
Aerial tram in Portland, USA
Photo 5 / 10 - At 60 dollars an hour for parking meters in the city centre, long live the aerial tram! Electric car
Electric car in Portland, USA
Photo 6 / 10 - For the past three years, the state of Oregon, of which Portland is the largest city (the capital is Salem), has been installing fast charging stations for electric cars. It takes between twenty and thirty minutes to reach 80% charge: Painted walls
Painted walls of the Portland Memorial Museum, USA
Photo 7 / 10 - A pleasant living environment and a non-conformist mindset, artists love Portland. One of the local specialities is the "murals" (painted walls) created by artists subsidised by the municipality. This one, on the Portland Memorial Museum, is the size of a football field, the largest in the world. It is the work of two artists, Mark and Shane Bennett: Community cycling centre
Community cycling centre in Portland, USA
Photo 8 / 10 - Created in 1994, the Community Cycling Center aims to develop the use of two-wheelers. For example, it offers ten-hour courses on how to change a tyre or chain or adjust the brakes: Tramway
Tramway in Portland, USA
Photo 9 / 10 - In 2001, Portland was the first American city to adopt the tramway. As early as 1967, Tom McCall, the governor of Oregon, had embarked on a policy of sustainable growth. Since then, all elected officials have followed this path. In 2012, a second phase of the tramway will be inaugurated: Food cart
Food carts in Portland, USA
Photo 10 / 10 - Food carts are very trendy and offer kebabs, soups and sandwiches made exclusively from local products. They are now being imitated in Boston and San Francisco.Find other photo reports and dream trips on GEO.fr
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