Pamplin Media, which publishes Portland Tribune and a number of other "newspapers", has become a cheerleader for all things related to "density" and "smart growth" - doubtless in part because Pamplin's sand and gravel company gets a lot of business out of the deal. In any event, the Trib's latest story revolves around Democrat desires to "fight climate change" by limiting your ability to drive, and the various plans that Metro's hatched toward that end. After all, it's well known that if everyone in Oregon stops driving, the rise of the oceans will be halted and the planet will begin to heal.
Oh, wait - that's why Barky was elected. But hey - it's Democrat logic.
Anyway, according to the Trib, Metro's not going to punish behavior that they consider to be "bad"; they're going to encourage you to drive less, encourage you to live closer to where you work, encourage you to ride a bike, and generally encourage you to live exactly how they tell you to live.
Examples abound in Portland, which has embraced Smart Growth high-density planning concepts for years. They include the Portland Streetcar that connects Northwest Portland and the Pearl District to downtown, Portland State University and South Waterfront. It eliminates the need for automobiles for many trips and has encouraged new mixed-use developments. The streetcar also will connect with the TriMet’s new MAX line in South Waterfont and near OMSI in the future.
The Portland Streetcar, which moves so slowly that it's faster to reach your destination (assuming you have one) on foot, has encouraged new mixed-use developments - every one of which has been taxpayer-subsidized, although you'd never know that from the Pamplin story. Toward the end, they do briefly mention the growing opposition to Portland Creep that's been manifested in Clackamas and Clark counties, and more recently in parts of Washington County, but it's brief and largely dismissive.
By contrast, Willamette Week offers a tale of reality: density has drawbacks. While Portland Democratics pride themselves on their row houses, unsustainable trains and streetcars, and delight in removing on-street parking in favor of trendy patios and decks, those very patios and decks are causing problems for residents in the nearby trendy townhouses and row houses. It seems that patrons of the restaurants and bars (smart-growthly within easy walking distance) gather outdoors on those patios and decks, and they talk. Loudly! Some even smoke out there. Who'd ever have thunk it?
Portland's mayor weighed in:
“There are tens of thousands of people who have invested in the urban lifestyle,” Hales said. “The friction is a very serious problem.”
Golly. It kind of seems that before somebody "invests in the urban lifestyle" they should maybe check to see if they can handle the noise that goes with it.
“Ten o’clock is a great time to move your party indoors,” says David Sweet, chair of the city’s Noise Review Board. “Let the neighbors get some sleep.”
Evidently, weird isn't working. They wanna be hip and trendy, but they don't want to deal with other hip and trendy types. How odd. Isn't that the whole idea behind having people live in lab-rat cages, walking and bicycling and taking the streetcar?
Meg Poehler lived for nine years in a townhouse behind Aalto Lounge and Circa 33 until last May, when she sold it and moved to Tigard.
And now the former hipster is driving the dreaded car! But at least she has some peace and quiet.
Living in the West Hills, we pretty much have to drive. For one thing, it's several hundred feet up, and we don't have any bike paths or sidewalks around here. But we have nice views, and it's quiet. Quite frankly, the whole "smart growth" and "density" thing pushed relentlessly by Portland and Metro Democratics seems incredibly discriminatory - what about older folks or disabled people, who can't ride bikes (even assuming they wanted to)?
The answer: "Screw 'em. We're going to make driving as expensive and irritating as we possibly can."
