June 27, 2004

(Updated) Young Effectuals Critique Portland's Urban Fabric

Study Presents Views Of 25-34 Year-Olds

Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.

First, a note about the headline. Traditionally (if we can use that word for something still relatively new as a concept), the term used is "young creatives." But because we were gearing up for Saturday night's free The Helio Sequence CD release gig at the Crystal Ballroom when we first started putting this item together, we swiped the title of their previous album for use here, even though technically they are too young to be considered part of the demographic in question.

(Continuing to digress just a bit further: Are we the only ones who think this band should have the chance to rock the living crap out of downtown via a gig in Pioneer Courthouse Square in the middle of a weekday?)

At any rate, to get to the point. This past Monday, the Portland Development Commission announced the release of a study on the younger end of the so-called creative class:

Young adults in the 25–34 age group, referred to as "The Young and the Restless," are looking to settle in cities that welcome newcomers, welcome new ideas and encourage diversity. Portland is doing well with this market segment: the greater metropolitan area is ranked eighth fastest in the U.S. in growth of 25–34 year olds and fourth fastest in college-educated 25–34 year olds.

The study, entitled, "The Young and The Restless: How Portland Competes for Talent" -- available for download (pdf) from PDC -- was commissioned by PDC and the Westside Business Alliance and unveiled at a breakfast forum Thursday which we did not attend.

There was a brief Portland Business Journal item on Monday, a longer Oregonian item on Wednesday, and a Portland Tribune item on Friday.

For those interested in the quantitative statistical elements, we suggest reading the report itself. We have neither the wherewithal or motivation to go into the numbers here. For our purposes, we'll focus on the qualitative elements of the opinions expressed about cities in general and Portland specifically. And in the main, we're simply going to pass them along, if for no other reason than to open up an opportunity for people to discuss the study.

The study breaks down the question of what this age group wants from metropolitan areas in general into ten themes.

Theme One: Open The Circle And Welcome Newcomers. Here the watchword is "tolerance" -- on the basis of color, sexual orientation, national origins, and even subcultural distinctions such as tattoos. According to the study, young people want newcomers to be considered "full participants in the community’s civic, social and business life."

Theme Two: Welcome New Ideas. Young people apparently believe that "long-time reisdents were attempting to hold onto their way of doing things, and in some cases, their power."

Theme Three: Encourage Diversity. Communities are made "more interesting and appealing" by the presence of minorities, which suggests an "open-mindedness, even sophisitication" on the part of such communities. Diversity, for this age group, extends "beyond people to include distinctive neighborhoods, shops, restaurants and history."

Theme Four: Create A Place Where People Can Be Themselves. The age group in question reportedly wants cities in which "they can create their own lives doing it their way," where they don't feel they must somehow adhere to stereotypes.

Theme Five: Let Young People Live Their Values And Create A New History. The study says that young people are attracted to a sense that a city is "not finished" and view that as an opportunity, a chance to make a difference. They also (the study says) "see potential where others might not." Some apparently viewed the obstacle of unemployment as an "opportunity to remake their city in positive ways." But many felt that long-time residents are "standing in the way."

Theme Six: Build Vibrant Places. Key elements here were vibrant downtowns, friendliness to pedestrians, good mass transit, the presence of art and civic festivals, and the importance of many quality restaurants, especially independent ones.

Theme Seven: Take Care Of The Basics. Young people who participated in this study want "clean and safe" cities, where the government works and "makes sense," and say that the "niceness" of residents to one another is important.

Theme Eight: Be Best At Something. This one is fairly straightforward, although it's also called "surprising" by the study itself. In essence, it says that young people want cities "to be clear about what they [want] to be and to be the best at something," which is seen as "a sign of sophistication, success, distinctiveness and leadership."

Theme Nine: Sell Your Regional Assets. Summed up in one phrase: "What is nearby matters."

Theme Ten: Know What You Want To Be And Be WIlling To Take Risks To Achieve It. This age groups reportedly wants leaders to "communicate clearly their plans for improvements and their actions along the way."

After providing this list of ten themes common to what people aged 25-34 wanted from the cities in which they live, the study presents the views of just Portland focus groups on our City's strengths and challenges.

Among the illustrative quotes on Portland's strengths are comments that the City is "not intimidating," and support for its neighborhoods, the accomodation of the its sense of being a "planned city," and its design as being "on a human scale" which fosters "human activity" and provides a clear "sense of place."

According to the study, "Portland's size, its urban fabric, walkability, public transportation, bike-friendly streets, cleanliness, distinctive neighborhoods, and independent businesses all contribute to a feeling of community, sophisitication, manageability and safety."

Support was expressed for the City's coffee, beer, wine, the fact that "small communities are encouraged," its hybrid nature as both "small town and big city."

Other strengths mentioned by these focus groups: The region's natural assets; the ability to "live their values," the City's "social conscience," the voice given to issues that other cities might ignore; a "political, business and social climate [which] makes it easy for young people to be themselves"; the sense that Portland is "not finished" and is a place "where you can create something"; the openness of the creative scene; an "independent, entrepreneurial climate"; the prominence of independent businesses; the "abundance of young people"; a sense of Portland as an "optimistic community"; a creative climate encouraged by affordability; the region's "laid back" culture; a sense that "for the most part, people are nice, kind and polite"; a "wide variety" of things to do; a "concentration of top companies" in some industries; and a view that this age group are "resourceful survivors" in the face of Portland's economic woes.

Among the challenges focus group participants offered: The relative absence of African-Americans and Oregon's "long history of discrimination"; a sense that the "climate of acceptance" has the downside of a lack of ambition, sometimes settling for mediocrity, and being too accepting of the problem of homelessness and the existence of "aggressive" street people; a concern that Portland's "laid back" nature might have the downside of being "sedated" or "not as vibrant"; the "abundance of rain" but more when it comes to the City's image; the rising cost of living; troubles with the schools and public education; a sense that there isn't "enough to do for the under-21 crowd" with a focus instead on making young people behave; a weak job market; poor marketing on the part of the City; a lack of imagination in "generating additional revenue and problem solving"; an interpretation of the urban growth boundry as City leaders trying "to keep Portland small"; a current leadership which is "not as bold as leaders of the past"; and an abundance of "self-congratulatory stuff," self-satisfaction," and complacency.

The bulk of the remainder of the report is the previously-mentioned statistical reports on demographics and migration which we suggested readers delve into for themselves. But the finaly few pages of the study offer an interesting survey of City guides, websites, and marketing materials related to the Portland area conducted by "a professional in marketing and public relations who is in the 25 to 34 year-old target demographic," which is worth looking at as well.

Finally, the study offers a "toolkit" for cities to attract this age group. For our purposes here, we'll just provide the headings: Deliver an appealing reality; put values on display; keep in touch with former residents; create opporunities for civic involvement; user internships to connect with young adults; survey young adults regularly; celebrate young entrepreneurs and civic contributors; communicate development plans to young adults; promote your city; and promote a young adult lifestyle.

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