A Failed City?
Forbes and Politico call Portland a failed city. Like many places in the country, it went from wonderful to war zone almost overnight. Job losses created an influx of people without shelter. George Floyd and political tempers led to graffiti, broken windows, and boarded-up buildings. Tensions between Proud Boys and Antifa ran sky-high. High-rise apartments dwellers descended from lofts, heading elsewhere to avoid long elevator lines and the nightly sounds of helicopters and flash grenades. Residents wary of stepping over legs and around tents abandoned the town.
People used to come to Portland for the quality of life. It is close to mountains, beaches, and deserts. Downtown was a lively place, fun to walk around.
Vibrant cities are full of energy, enthusiasm, and activities. They are healthy with a diversity of offerings. Focused on art, culture, and learning, they have theaters, galleries, and sculptures reminding us of our history and pointing to the future. They are places where couples get married and non-profit organizations hold fundraisers that support the important charitable work they do.
I like cities that spark my imagination and lift me to a higher plane. They show me possibilities and inspire me to think big and dream. Artists, architects, writers, musicians, and philosophers from every race, sexual orientation, and heritage shine through the cores of great cities. They are the Avant-Garde who question reality and experiment with ideas. They challenge us to think about preconceived notions. Low-income housing should be reserved for those who contribute to city life, supporting businesses and the arts through their labor and skills.
Notice, I didn’t mention unsheltered people sleeping on sidewalks. Portland officials struggling to balance individual vs community rights are having a difficult time injecting downtown with good vibes. I love Portland, and like others, wonder what can be done.
Recapturing the unique spirit of our community is only possible if people feel safe strolling through public spaces and streets with first-floor shops, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and attractions. Visitors to downtown areas go to relax and get away from their daily routine.
Portland is not alone in its fall. According to The Hill, eight cities that stand out as being the worst in the country include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, Oakland, Chicago, and unfortunately, Portland. Twenty others are not far behind.
Revitalization is possible, but it is compounded by the fact that the U.S. has 35 million illiterate people, and 25 percent of youth dropping out of school. Our country is saturated with uneducated, mentally ill, and undervalued citizens unable to find or keep a job. And, they are bringing society to its knees. Though many are intelligent, they have no skills, are not critical thinkers, and are not employable. Many buy into conspiracy theories and accept lies as being true. They put our democratic way of life on an unacceptable downward spiral.
Turning the situation around costs money, and, as long as we live in a capitalist society, downtowns will require wealthy patrons to support them. Since the government does not adequately support the arts, education, or culture as it does in Europe, we have to depend on those who are rich and on vacationers to pitch in. Wealthy residents paying high rents and tourists staying in luxury hotels, eat in fine restaurants, purchase from boutiques shops, and contribute to the city’s economic viability from which local residents benefit.
Housing poverty burdened people downtown and permitting people to live in tents does not help. Poor people unable to provide either time or resources to the city, will not bring about a resurgence of vitality and creativity because they can’t. For those struggling at the bottom rung of Maslow’s pyramid, their first priority has to be finding food and shelter for themselves. I experienced a downtown area in Michigan decline after prime riverfront property was allocated for low-income housing. The people who moved in were without resources to support the museums, restaurants, and entertainment that citizens craved—the center died.
If revitalization becomes an agreed-upon vision, then city officials have to take the difficult step of banning tents. Confrontational marches with protesters carrying guns and mace and police in riot gear don’t belong on our streets either. Organizations serving the unsheltered should sell their center-city properties and relocate closer to camps that shelter them. Circulating mobile units to various sites is a way to reach more people. As long as non-profits own buildings and provide shelter downtown, unhoused people will congregate nearby.
Because of land use laws, affordable housing in Portland is dire. It will be years before 15,000 temporary mini-houses are built for the unhoused. I fear these camps will never go away. A compassionate solution would be to move unsheltered people immediately into large refugee-style camps where there are tents with heaters and electricity in them that let occupants stand upright and sit in a chair. Communal toilets, showers, cooking facilities, and trash receptacles can control the deplorable, unhealthy situation rimming our highways. What I suggest is not unlike a United Nations refugee camp that takes a week to install. Turkey set up an excellent one in 24 hours to serve Syrian refugees. Health and mental services are easier to administer when people live in communities. As it is, the unhoused are so spread out around the city they are hard to reach.
Visions lead to mission statements that set the stage for action. They are seeds that with nurturing can flower into limitless possibilities. Knowing that global warming will bring havoc into the next century we have to be prepared for more immigrants to the area. What I suggest can be implemented in a month. Within six months center-city will turn around.
If we are going to handle the future with compassion, we need vibrant centers that keep us rejuvenated and hopeful.
References;
Beza, C.( 2019) How can we make our cities more vibrant? BBC Network. retrieved from https://www.bdcnetwork.com/blog/how-can-we-make-our-cities-more-vibrant
Friendman,N. (2020)Five Key Characteristics of Vibrant Places. Vibemap. retrieved from https://noah-vibemap.medium.com.
Conerly,B.(2021) Death of a City: The Portland Story? Forbes Magazine. retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2021/01/28/death-of-a-city-the-portland-story/?sh=6784a73c74ad
Russell, J. (2017) United States of Failed Cities. SmartcitiesDive, retrieved from https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/united-states-failed-cities/188291/
Tate, K. (2021) The worst-run cities in America.The Hill. retrieved from
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/533365-the-worst-run-cities-in-america
How is your city faring? Do share your thoughts for its future on my blog site at http://www.eichingerfineart.com/blog
Art is always for Sale- Limitless Possibilities is acrylic on canvas/ 18” x 24′ / $425 / for information contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
McClelland, M. (2014)How to build a Perfect Refugge Camp. New York TImes Magazine. retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/magazine/how-to-build-a-perfect-refugee-camp.html
