Portland's Not Perfect? (29. October 2006, 16:58 by Derek Young) ~ Smelling Roses
Voelpel’s Sunday column today focuses on the not-quite-perfect side of Portland. The issues? Homelessness. Public project costs. Affordable housing. My bubble has burst…
I do have one little comment on the article. In it, Voelpel cites the Milken best cities report where Tacoma ranks significantly higher than Portland for job and wage growth. Generally speaking, any statistics I see regarding growth that shows Tacoma moving upward faster than its neighbors, I attribute to the fact that it really sucked to be here for several decades. On the flipside, I also attribute the livability of our neighborhoods, the friendliness of the community, and the blank slate opportunities throughout downtown to the fact that it really sucked to be here for several decades. We’re now correcting. I’ve argued this for the housing market, job growth, and with regard to several other studies showing the influx of various job sectors and/or people. The key to remember is that growth statistics are relative. If the starting point is a really small number, incremental improvements seem significantly larger than if we started from a larger number. We may still be a long ways behind our neighbors, but it looks great on the charts.
Okay, one other comment. The public works project example is an aerial tram project to connect the top of a hill to the riverfront. Costs have escalated from an original estimate of $15 million to $57.6 million. Given our conversations about aerial trams and public works projects several weeks ago, this example makes me laugh.
If these are the risks and issues associated with success, I think we should try it out for a bit.
Link to The News Tribune
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“The city considered as an international model for urban living, the city that has much to teach Tacoma about how to achieve a prosperous future, doesn’t have all the answers.”
International model for urban living? I don’t think so. Maybe Northwest model for urban living. Still, as I have mentioned before, Portland is for the most part a low-density city. I disagree with Voelpel and many of the people on this site. I think if we should be emulating anyone, it should be Vancouver. Why Vancouver? High density (unlike Portland), urban villages surrounding the SkyTrain stations, vibrant neighborhood, and most of all, diversity.
The main reason Vancouver is able to sell all those high-rise condominiums is because of the high number of immigrants from Asia and elsewhere who are used to living in some of the densest places on the planet. (Hong Kong’s density is about 300,000 people per square MILE.) Of course, Tacoma kicked its Chinese out a hundred years ago and has never recovered. However, we still have strong Korean and Vietnamese communities. Why not recreate similar dense atmospheres here? If we have strong Korean community, maybe others will want to immigrate to Little Seoul or Little Ho Chi Minh City as well. You never know.
1 | Posted by drizell | Oct 30, 11:54 PM
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