January 14, 2004
'Willamette Week' Notices Transit Mall Project
Today's Willamette Week includes an item of questions about the transit mall revitalization project they say only they were dumb enough to ask:
Somewhere amid the flurry of end-of-year lists and coverage of the Storm of the Century, we latched on to the fact that major changes are in the works for the downtown bus mall, Portland's mass-transit jugular on 5th and 6th avenues. (Some would say, "Well, duh.")
It turns out that the next few months will be crucial in determining what will happen on the 22 blocks where all the city's major bus and rail lines converge. We had lots of questions. Some answers, forthwith.
For what it's worth, I (and several other local weblog writers, I'm sure) would be amongst those out here with that "duh" on our minds, since we've been covering this project for months now. But if you need a simple and basic rundown on the project and its current status, the item is worth reading.
"And consultants are studying six other cities," the items says, "including New York and Rome, trying to find out what makes comparable streets tick."
This would be the so-called "great pedstrian streets" study being conducted by local firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, which has been determining a set of principles by which such streets find success. According to ZGF's Greg Baldwin (with whom I spoke on the telephone several weeks ago about this study), the principles include, among others, such factors as: a balance of activities which do not compromise each other; collective, shared responsibility for the street; being a backbone in the city; and being a place people would like to spend time.
And indeed, as the item indicates, it's Metro's turn this week to take up approving the so-called Locally Preferred Alternative (which in essence simply states that there will be light rail along the mall), through an agenda item for this Thursday's Metro Council meeting:
Resolution No. 04-3403, For the Purpose of finalizing the decision to add Monroe the Portland Mall Alignment to the Locally Preferred alternative for Phase 1 of the South Corridor Light Rail Project. (PUBLIC HEARING)
The Metro Council meets this Thursday at 2:00 PM, at the Metro Regional Center, located at 600 NE Grand Avenue.