Canadian Urban Institute

This video highlights some of Portland's recent transportation, heritage preservation, green building and urban design initiatives. These images were taken in February/March, 2009 by CUI staff. The accompanying article below was published in last year's Ontario Planning Journal and was used as a case study for some of the Institute's recent Value Planning initatives. The article by Iain Myrans, a Senior Planner with the Canadian Urban Institute, was published last year in the Ontario Planning Journal (Vol. 24, No. 4, 2009). We have included it in this post to compliment the the above video.

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By: Iain Myrans

This is the second of two articles examininghow American cities have redefined and reinvented themselves following the collapse oftheir local economies. As with my previous article on Pittsburgh, research for this piece comes from on-the-ground observations as well as interviews with key individuals in planning, economic development, business and politics.

A brief background
Portland’s economy was built on the state’s substantial timber industry, an industry that declined in the 1980s and 1990s as a result of increasingly stringent state environmental laws as well as foreign competition. Today Portland is a growing city of about 600,000 people, with about 2 million in its urban region. It is a city that, perhaps like no other, has managed to adapt its economy not only to avoid collapse, but also to thrive by focusing on the provision of public amenities that offer a high quality of life. Redefining its role on the U.S. west coast in a way that would allow it to compete for creative and educated talent against Seattle and San Francisco (and even Vancouver, B.C.) has been no small undertaking.

Prosperity vs. Wealth: Two approaches to developing successful cities
In an interview with the Mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, I asked what it was that attracted so many people to the city despite its substantially lower median income relative to San Francisco and Seattle. In response he said “Simple. In a mobile talent world, Portland specializes in ‘quality of life.’ If you want to be rich, go to Seattle or San Francisco. If you want to be prosperous you come here.”

As a planner I find this distinction between financial wealth and prosperity to be quite valuable—prosperity, unlike wealth, isdriven by quality of life, which is based inpart on the availability of public and community infrastructure, as well as the amenities and services available in a community. In Portland the emphasis is on public transit and cycling (rather than the automobile), on design-led communities (rather than engineering dictated design), on arts and culture (Portland is becoming the west-coast hub for graphic design), and on environmentally sustainable development. These things have made it one of the most attractive destinations for 25-35 year olds over the last decade.

Portland has redefined itself through investments in green infrastructure, demonstrating to energy firms such as Vestas, WindTech or SolarWind that Portland is the place to open shop. Established firms such as Intel maintain operations in Portland in part because of the available work force and their commitment to the principles of corporate social and environmental responsibility.

Images 1 & 2 - Streetcars that know how to use public space.

The Mobility City: Transit & Cycling
Cities such as Portland and Pittsburgh can overcome severe challenges through a combination of strategic bold moves tied to a set of quick wins that create momentum. Perhaps two of the boldest moves affecting Portland came as early as 1973. First, the state adopted a law creating a growth boundary to protect its forests and agricultural land from suburbanization. Second, the municipality successfully lobbied the federal government to prevent the construction of a riverfront highway.

The move to stop the Mt. Hood highway also created the opportunity to take advantage of a federal program to use allotted highway funds for existing road upgrades or transit. Ultimately, the decision to reject the highway led to the redevelopment of the city’s waterfront and the construction of the first light rail line in the U.S. in modern times (which opened in 1986).

Today Portland’s transit system includes three Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) LRT lines, a growing number of local streetcar lines and, a brand new Aerial Tram. The MAX operates as a line-haul transit system in the suburbs through dedicated rights of way, but transforms into a different entity in the downtown, where the MAX stops every block or so in Fareless Square, a district where riders can use transit for free. Downtown, the MAX operates on both dedicated LRT streets and on dedicated lanes at grade alongside cars.

Images 3 & 4 - The Portland Aerial Tram connects two branches of a major regional hospital to one another. Portland's newest streetcar line serves the tram station directly.

While the MAX is operated by the regional government, the City began investing in its own streetcar system by creating a non-profit corporation which, in addition to the fare box, seeks donations and sponsorships to operate. Across the city the idea of moving people by transit is growing and slowly the city’s grid of one-way streets is being convert-ed into transit rights of way, as cars take aback seat to more efficient modes of travel.

Image 5 - Inside the MAX Light Rail Vehicles bikes are not only welcome but encouraged. These bike stands are alternated between doorways. (Every other door is for bikes, the other serves as an accessibility entrance).

Image 6 - Quick Wins: Cities can take simple, low cost actions (such as painting space for cyclists at intersections to ensure they are able to safely move through them) in order to change behaviour, promote environmental sustainability and attract a new demographic.

Cycling has also been on the rise. The city has developed its cycling network and worked to create a bike-friendly culture where taking bicycles on public transit or into office buildings is acceptable. A series of“quick wins” helped Portland grow its cycling network, including clearly identifiable bicycle lanes and markings at intersections thatallow cyclists to make turns safely in advanceof automobiles. Today, people are complain-ing about congestion on the city’s cycling network—a rather unusual congestion problem.

Image 7 -Auto-lanes in the downtown are being removed and replaced with bus, streetcar and cycling lanes as well as wider sidewalks and trees.

The LEED City
On a walk through the city’s Pearl District, a former brownfield site transformed into one of the most popular communities in Portland, one notices numerous LEED-certified buildings. The Pearl is one of the most successful districts in Portland, and with its blend of new, green, buildings and historic architecture, it has become a hotspot destination for retail, the arts, graphic and industrial design firms and new migrants. The Pearl is the home of the world’s only LEED Platinum condominium building, a project made possible when the city’s development corporation took on the responsibility of building the parking component. This enabled the developer to invest in more green technology—a major win for both the city’s image and taxbase.

The Portland Development Commission (PDC), which is also the city’s TIF (tax increment financing) agency, has been largely responsible for coupling landuse initiatives and brownfield redevelopment with transit initiatives. Built form, zoning, and transit all work together effectively in this way. The growth boundary has required intensification over the past 30 years, which has made it possible for the commission to get involved in large-scale projects like the Pearl. (For those interested in green development I also suggest Googling “Gerding Theater,” a historic armoury that is now a two-auditorium LEED Platinum theatre complex).

Image 9 - The Gerding Theatre in the Pearl resulted from the reuse of a former armoury. Today this theatre is the only LEED Platinum theatre space in the world, and it is built in a historic building. Wow. Image Credit: TheStudioBox.Wordpress.com

Final Thoughts
Portland’s clearly defined goal to be among the greenest cities in the USA, coupled with its strategic investments in infrastructure and community assets, have driven the reinvention of the city. At a time when all cities are talking “green,” Portland is leading the pack because it has demonstrated to the private sector and the public that it is prepared to make substantial investments to achieve its goals.

Transit, TIF funds and tax credits to help offset costs of LEED buildings, a comprehensive cycling network, and other innovative transportation solutions like the Aerial Tram serve as marketing tools for developers, employers, and talent alike. These pro-grams and projects are seen as investments capable of generating substantial returns, rather than as expenses. Making use of a range of financial tools and working with developers to leverage tax credits, the city’s development corporation plays a crucial role in ensuring that zoning, development, and transit are all coordinated—an approach that could serve Ontario’s municipalities well.

While the current recession has slowed employment growth and unemployment has risen as people continue to move to Portland, the city faces new short-term challenges; however, it is well positioned to recover fully after the recession. The city continues to be forward-thinking as it looks to develop a high-speed rail link to Vancouver, B.C, a proposition that will make it an even more desirable city for residents and employers alike.

Image 10 - Portland's Pearl District is a beacon of great design, heritage restoration, arts and culture and urban transportation. Image Credit: Portland Development Commission

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Iain Myrans is a senior planner with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) in Toronto. The City of Portland will receive a special CUI Brownie Award at the Canadian Brownfields conference in Vancouver this fall.