There is a new show in IFC which I have yet to watch entitled, "Portlandia." Starring SNL's Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, formerly of Sleater-Kinney and now of Wild Flag it takes an absurdist view of life in Portland, Oregon.
I must admit, if given unlimited resources and more of a predisposition to favor consistent rain over consistent sun, I too might live in Portland.
At first glance it's darn near Utopia. Especially from a planning perspective. It seems like everyone is in harmony, working towards the greater good while consuming only local organic food. There are no NIMBYs. (Not In My Back Yards) only peace and good will. (this is all, of course, on the surface and prone to great hyperbole for dramatic effect).
Oh yeah, and no one seems to mind that the "green belt" that was mandated in the 70s has artificially inflated real estate to levels that rival San Francisco. A green belt, in a nutshell, is a no-build barrier formed around a city, established at a certain geographic point to ensure that development does not infringe on nature. Unfortunately, this means that supply is limited while demand is ever-increasing. Therefore, since supply is constrained price increases. The same thing happens in New York City. Landlords can charge an arm and a leg because if you reallllly want to live in Manhattan proper, well, you have finite options where to lay your head.
One of the biggest causes of my despair was the announcement that Portland is actually dedicating revenues to bicycling! Bicycling the ultimate in utopian form of transportation. Citations of the leisurely activity conjure up images of beach cruisers, Amelie, and safe and happy children.
And here is the Portlandia version-
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, my friends at the LA DOT (that's D-O-T, not DOT) work tirelessly on raising bike awareness and bike safety.
While our good Mayor of LA, out on a bike ride, breaks his elbow when a taxi pulls out in front of him!
Trying to find bad stuff about Portland is like trying to find bad stuff written about Betty White. OK, both are a little overexposed (as of late), but to badmouth either of them is like saying you hate kittens and puppies and rainbows.
Joel Kotkin, of whom I possess little favor, bravely campaigns for the position of anti-Portland. He is also one of the most prolific members of the unofficial anti-anti-sprawl movement. (These are not necessarily pro-sprawl, but they don't bemoan it as the smart growth people do either). But here's his pot shot.
No one ever said that life in Portland is cheap. San Francisco is the farthest thing from cheap, but I'd still give my left arm to live there if guaranteed a well-paying job. Unfortunately, herein lies the problem- how to create nice, livable places people want to live in and interact with, but entry level isn't set at upper-yuppie levels?
Still, in a world of frustrations and backlashes at the smallest imagined slights, it's nice to know that somewhere (over the rainbow?) some one is experiencing a modicum of success.
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