More on Portland

Joe Cortright, senior advisor to CEOs for Cities, took the day off yesterday to show me two extraordinary streets in his hometown of Portland -- Mississippi and Alberta.  They are both reflections of Portland's entrepreneurs at work, curating their small retail collections,  inventing new restaurant concepts, providing charming places to hang out.  (I'm not sure how people manage to hang out in neighborhood coffee houses throughout the morning or take the dogs for a skateboard run, but I'm jealous.)  Everywhere you look in Portland, there are signs of people inventing their lives.  Not only does it make for interesting shopping and wonderful neighborhood walks, it also reminds you that you are not limited by what others make or prescribe for you.  You (and certainly these entrepreneurs) are in charge.

Joe's report for us, Driven to the Brink, shows a link between housing values and distance from the CBD.  It suggests that as gas prices rise, our housing investments will be more secure if we can reduce the number of car trips. The clearest path to that is dense, mixed use neighborhoods served by transit. 

If we are to have mixed uses closer to home, America will have to re-learn how to do neighborhood retail.  And to do that, we should look to Portland as filled with entrepreneurs showing us the way.  We can also look to public policy in Portland that keeps roads narrow and traffic moving steadily but at slower speeds, provides great transit (including a serious commitment to frequent bus service) and ample support for pedestrians and bikers, and has no sales tax -- all of which conspire to create a supportive environment for small retailers.

Enjoy the photos.

  

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