Portland 2 (original) (raw)

The summary of presentations about Freiburg am Breisgau (Germany) and Portland, Oregon (USA) during professor Johann Jessen's "Metropolien" subject

The mission of creating more environmentally-friendly and socially-equitable cities is critical; recognition of this need has increasingly informed urban policy. Urban planning strategies for realizing these laudable goals of inclusivity and sustainability are expressed in terms of a market-oriented and entrepreneurial smart growth framework, which seeks the revitalization of cities with transit-oriented development (TOD). This thesis critiques the discourse and practice of transit-oriented development with reference to a case study of a recently-constructed light rail line in Portland, Oregon. I deploy a hedonic analysis of property values in conjunction with an analysis of planning documents to illustrate the connection between plans and property values. Light rail was envisioned as a catalyst for development, development cast as its own end; the hedonic analysis illustrates that this strategy has already boosted land values, setting the stage for the profitable redevelopment and gentrification of neighborhoods along the line. This analysis raises equity concerns surrounding transit-oriented development as a strategy for promoting inclusive cities; increased property values will tend to displace the lower income, transit-dependent residents who most benefit from increased transit access.

This paper aims to develop a detailed understanding of the Harbor Drive freeway demolition project, in Portland, Oregon.

There are some places where the development equation is relatively simple: land plus demand leads to development. There are also places where a complex web of pressures and perceptions obfuscate this simple arithmetic. Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown district is just such a place. In fact, despite popular consensus of the manifold advantages inherent in this historic jewel at the heart of Portland, it has remained largely stagnant for over half a century. This study will seek to lift the fog of perception and conjecture that has fallen over the public discourse surround- ing this neighborhood. Through analysis of demographic data and interviews with those vested with an interest in the district, I will attempt to extrapolate the various incentives, both positive and negative, that steer development. Many of these incentives are relatively common patterns in land development. Others are singularly unique to Old Town/ Chinatown. These incentives, regarded here as pressure pat- terns, will be analyzed for their validity as well as their phenotypical expression in the public discourse.