Since the 1970’s, Portland has been the first city in the nation to adopt plans around carbon reduction and energy use, integrating housing, land use, transportation and business issues. This led to development of a public transit system, including light rail, that was not happening anywhere else on the west coast, and policies like fareless square, where transit is free in the downtown area. Policies were also being made on the state and regional level aimed at preventing the kind of urban sprawl you see in most western states―so we have land use rules that set aside and protect farm and forest land, and require cities to grow within approved urban growth boundaries. This keeps people from having to drive a long distance to get to work, school and stores, and saves government the costs of extending services farther and farther out.