Film Director Aaron Woolf on Tuesday will present the Portland premiere of his documentary, “Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City,” After the screening, Woolf will join a panel to ask whether Portland’s transportation system offers an exit from economic decline or a fast track to ruin. The event will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Baghdad Theater, 3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

It is hosted by Architects Without Borders Oregon and Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium.

In “Beyond the Motor City,” Woolf, who also directed “King Corn,” looks at a Detroit shaped by innovative transportation systems. From canals to streetcar lines to freeways, Detroit led and the world followed. Then other countries invested in high-speed trains. But the United States still follows a car-based model that failed Detroit, according to Woolf.

What makes Portland different? Adding to the disucssion will be urban planning consultant Gil Kelley, Portland’s longtime planning director; TriMet architect Bob Hastings, who coordinates the agency’s station design and sustainability initiatives; and moderator Ethan Seltzer, professor and former director of the School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University.

Panelists will address questions such as what would an all-electric transportation system look like and how do we get there? With most people now working outside of downtown, do we need to plan developments and the transit that serves them differently? What can we do to leave the car behind?