Portland at a Crossroads: Sustaining the Livable City

I'm honored to be asked to speak in this Presidential Plenary on Portland with such well-known local historians as Carl Abbott and Chet Orloff. When first invited, I wondered how I might contribute as both an urban geographer and a relative newcomer to the city. I figured Chet and Carl would cover the past, so I could talk about the city's present and future (one assumes historians are not likely to go there). Imagine my surprise then, when a couple of weeks ago I discovered an article titled "A Brief History of Our Future: An Historian Imagines Portland in 2033" by Carl Abbott! (2003). Way to go, Carl! Why confine history to the past?

In his article, Carl projects a rather rosy future for the Rose City based on the continuation of past traditions and current trends. In this talk, however, I'd like to point to a few challenges in getting to that future. And, playing the devil's advocate, I'd like to ask: Are Portlanders living off their legacy? Are they, as a prominent local planner asserts, living off the principal and not the interest? (Toulan 2003, p. 25). I know this is heretical thinking in certain groups. After all, Portland is a model of planning and livability held up to the rest of the nation: "We planned—it worked" is the famous slogan. So why worry that the future won't bring more of the same?

Before I get labeled "the Cassandra of Portland," I'd like to disclose my positionality in this matter. Positionality is a term much in vogue in geography today; it's the notion of revealing where you're coming from with respect to who or what you're studying because, in the final analysis, we've concluded there's really no such thing as "biases aside." So let me come clear with my position on Portland: frankly, I'm passionate about the place. I'm convinced that it's the best place to live in the United States. My husband and I moved here even in spite of having no jobs, and soon found ourselves among legions of others who had done the same! Of course, most are 20-somethings for whom living in poverty is still an adventure. Nevertheless, as I tell all my friends, I've found "urban nirvana" right here in America's best little European city.

Figure 1
Portland's downtown skyline from across the Willamette River. (Photograph by author.)

Before addressing the challenges ahead, I want to briefly show you what's luring people like me to Portland, job or no job. It's not just the attractive downtown skyline (Figure 1) or the enticing 40 inches of rain each year. But as T. S. Eliot said, "Oh, do not ask 'what is it?'...let us go and make a visit."

First, Portland is bike-friendly (and I'm an avid bike commuter). In fact, it's one of the "bike-friendliest" cities in the country, ranked number one by Bicycle Magazine. Portland even closes two freeway bridge decks to cars once a year for the popular Bridge Pedal, which takes cyclists across eight bridges spanning the Willamette. Bike lanes, bike paths, bike routes, bike signs, and bike racks are everywhere. And if you're bike-challenged, Portland is skate-friendly too, with "skate route" signs to help you navigate downtown.

Second, Portland is one of the only cities in the West where you can give up your car entirely, as there are so many other ways of getting around. Alternatives to the car are actively promoted, from bikes and buses to streetcars, light rail, and foot. Neon signs on buildings encourage one to "Go by Train" or "Go by Streetcar" (Figure 2). Portland State students using the supposedly touristy streetcar to commute to school have boosted ridership far beyond expectations. The streetcar tracks can present new challenges to bicyclists (tires tend to get stuck in the sunken grooves), but bright yellow signs do give fair warning. Portland also has one of the...