August 18, 2003
Blumenauer On Neighborhoods, Briefly
In the course of having an actual job to go to, I've managed to miss the various opportunities to catch another of Congressman Earl Blumenauer's "Vision for Portland" discussions, which I had intended to do in order to see if the discussions had evolved or changes at all since the first few.
In yesterday's Sunday Oregonian, architecture columnist Randy Gragg reported on one such discussion, hosted by the American Institute of Architects.
As reported here previously, at an early discussion, Blumenauer was asked about neighborhood frustrations:
At that event, one participant expressed a frustration familiar to readers here: The sense that City Hall is no longer adequately responding to neighborhood and resident concerns. Blumenauer's resposne was to suggest that this sense of disenfranchisement is common around the country, and tied it to a sense of being overwhelmed by current events and not knowing how to have an impact.
Clearly missing in that analysis was the understanding that what's unique about the Portland brand of disenfranchisement -- especially when it comes to neighborhoods -- is that unlike many other cities, Portland has been conducting an ongoing experiment in institutionalizing neighborhood involvement. And that, above and beyond any general sense of national powerlessness, residents here feel that those structures for institutionalized involvement have bee betrayed by the City's leaders.
I suggested to him at that event that he might want to be aware of the likelihood that he'd be hearing more of neighborhood frustrations as his series of discussions progressed.
And so, while Gragg's article is worth reading in its entirety, for my purposes here I just want to get into this bit:
Amy Miller Dowell, AIA president and project manager for the Portland Development Commission, asked Blumenauer whether the bad economy will further erode citizens' support for planning.
"I think people will be receptive to planning that has a clear economic benefit for their community," he said.
He pointed to the 1993 Albina Plan that helped spark development along Alberta Street. Too often neighborhood groups can only participate in development planning by opposing projects, he said. One "crazy idea" would be to give neighborhood associations some discretionary funds to spend as they see fit, hiring another beat cop, keeping a gym open late or planting street trees. [Emmphasis added - Ed.]
"They need incentives where they can choose to make a difference," he said. "It's why we need a broader plan so people know what's possible. I think you can generate enthusiasm."
I am very curious to know what sorts of neighborhood concerns came up over the course of this series of "Vision for Portland" discussions, since the above resposne does suggest either that such concerns continued to be raised, or that Blumenauer had at some point read up on them, or been briefed on them.
We'll see if I can finagle any further comment on such neighborhood frustrations out of his campaign office.
Meanwhile, his announcement regarding a possible mayoral run is due after Labor Day, which arrives on September 1.