Portland's Park Blocks

I just read a brief success story article from Metropolis Magazine about Portland's newest addition to their park blocks, Director Park.

I must say, this is an incredible public space. It was a block from my hotel the first week I was in Portland for my AmeriCorps training, and every opportunity I had to venture outside onto the streets, I always wanted to return to this plaza and just sit. I think every time I have been to Portland since moving out to Oregon, I have gone here and ordered a sandwich or coffee or something from the lovely Violetta cafe serving "Portland's fastest slow food." It is simply the most relaxing atmosphere smack in the center of Downtown Portland, and the plaza is always full of people. During the summer, there were children splashing in the fountain, and people just taking a break from their offices. Here's a photo I took:

The whole idea of the park blocks in Portland is just one of the unique things that sets Portland apart from other American cities in its planning for public space. You can clearly distinguish the blocks when looking on Google Maps. Every 100x200 foot block (smaller than the standard 200x200 ft Portland city block) contains some sort of public art, the infamous "bubblers", and is adjacent to many public venues such as the Portland Art Museum or The Oregon Historical Society and also serve as the greenspace Portland State University in the South portion. The parks are also intersected the Portland Streetcar and MAX lines.

It's funny. My intention when I set out to write this blog entry was going to be to suggest specific places in one or more of the three cities I've lived in in the past, but I just can't. What Portland has done with the entirety of their park blocks was platted in 1845 when the city was first being planned. If a planner came in now and said to the City of Atlanta, for instance, "We should strip these blocks from Edgewood to North Avenue and make them open greenspace", everyone would freak! The same goes for any already established city. There are buildings, sometimes historic buildings, tons of red tape, zoning approvals, etc that hinder something like this from ever happening. It is nearly impossible.

This is why cities are seeking to complete projects like Atlanta's Beltline and Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale's River Walks. These projects are simply using what little open space the cities still have in their urban centers for public space, which is great and greatly needed. I am in no way suggesting gutting numerous city blocks for public space. I am simply pointing out the need and public desire for adequate public space. Hemming Plaza in downtown Jacksonville and Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta are good examples of public space, but they seem to only be full of warm bodies during special events like art walks or concerts. What Portland has done with Director Park and the other park blocks is something different. There is a mix of things that explain why, such as a much more mixed use downtown, including shops and cafes adjacent to the blocks at ground level, integrating transit, landscaping, limited vehicular access, etc.

Revitalizing streets within our downtowns, making them "complete streets", geared as places for living, working, and playing, is what we have left. We must do whatever it takes to slow traffic, integrate transit, incorporate pedestrian friendliness, and encourage mixed use. My point is that if we want our downtowns to thrive, public spaces like this essential.

For my AmeriCorps project in Springfield, Oregon, there is no public park or plaza on Main Street in the much smaller scale downtown. There is, however, a block wide plaza in the urban renewal plans, and I hope the city, residents, and business owners see the necessity of implementing this plan properly and in a timely manner. I'm also glad to see this happening in my hometown of Jacksonville on Laura Street between the Landing and Hemming Plaza. I can't wait to check out the progress when I visit home for Christmas.