A Word from Eric Miller for March, 2003

Near-Perfect Portland

Each of us of course has our own list of amenities we would like our town to have. I too have my own list in my head. I went through that list on my first visit to the Pacific Northwest.

Before I was able to experience the city firsthand, I had heard the hype about Portland. I had read about its growth boundaries, its transit, and the walkability of the city. You hear a lot of hype though, and without any intentional negligence, I never thought much about Portland or what it was like.

Now I know it really is an excellent city that others, including San Francisco, can learn a lot from. The official city website, after all, says it plain as day: "We plan for smart development and to prevent urban sprawl." This lets me know that even if Portland isn't perfect now, it will likely continue to move in the right direction.

I arrived by train, which is one of my personal criteria (and one of TNC's criteria) for a healthy urban environment. A train station is essential for me, but Portland went beyond that with a beautiful, historic train station.

Closely connected to this is a proximity to other cities, and convenient train service between them. I was not the first to discover that train service between San Francisco and Portland was not convenient, but Seattle and Vancouver, BC, are both sizeable, stimulating places that as I understand are within a convenient train ride from Portland. This is what I miss most about the Midwest and especially the East Coast. I do not like to get away to the country. I like to get away to another city. In Portland it is convenient to do that.

Related to transportation is a light-rail connection to the airport (link-http://www.portofportland.com/pdxhome.htm). I don't like flying, but I accept it as necessary sometimes. When I do fly, it makes the occasion so much more pleasant to be able to get to the airport on light rail. In far too many cities--LA, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, the list goes on--there is really no ideal way to get to the airport. Some cities have tried to make do with bus service, others have fixed connections somewhere near the airport, and others are in the process of building a fixed connection, but far fewer have the immediate reality of a good way to get from downtown to your plane. In Portland, the light-rail train goes from downtown to just below the check-in gates.

Downtown Portland also provides many places to live, lots of stores, small parks or public squares, and beautiful architecture. The downtown area is walkable and connected to many largely residential areas both in proximity and by light rail or streetcar.

Downtown was also quite diverse and interesting. There are many different kinds of stores from the big high-end retailers to pawn and tobacco shops. The streets seem to be busy at night, and we had our pick of places to eat on a Sunday evening (though our first choice of Wilf's in the train station did not pan out because the restaurant was closed on Sundays). There are also distinct areas, from shopping, arts, and theatre districts to Chinatown, and "rough spots" within a small area.

Many neighborhoods seemed to be connected to the downtown by light rail. The airport line at least seemed to be built to accommodate additional future dense development near it.

If my experience is a measure of friendliness, Portland is very friendly. I was even able to get a volunteer tour guide through an internet posting.

I also like Portland because it ias a river city. I love all the funky bridges and walkways and the industrial look that comes with being a river city. I love to hear the sound of train whistles and to see barges move around. Looking at a map, I am curious why inland Portland grew to be so large while Astoria, which is at the mouth of the river, a more likely location for a city to grow, did not.

Portland didn't have the degree of ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity I like in a city ( 82 percent were white alone; 7 percent black or African American; 1 percent were American Indian and Alaska Native; and 7 percent Asian.).

Also on the downside, Portland real estate is more expensive than I'd like it to be, and if I were looking to move somewhere new, that factor would come into consideration. I also understand we experienced a few rare consecutive sunny days and that it rains more often than I would like.

There are other criteria too specific to me to discuss here, criteria each of us have but that aren't used by magazines and raters for determining livability. Many people come to The New Colonist because they are looking for an ideal, or at least better city to live in--I hope our list helps supplement your own list. Many of us cannot for one reason or another choose an ideal city and move there. I hope this issue gives those who will continue to live where they do some tools, if you are so inspired, to help make your city a better, more urban, place to live.

Eric Miller is editor of The New Colonist.

Go to A Word from Richard Risemberg

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