Food Carts & Titty Bars!

So I live in Detroit and my sister lives in Portland. Sometimes I joke that when it comes to public perception, our two cities represent the complete opposite poles of American urbanism. The former is dismissed as some sort of urban wasteland; the latter held up as an urban nirvana.

It's not really so black & white. Unless you're looking at demographics. Then, why yes, actually, it is. Detroit is very black and Portland very white. (Not that this has anything to do with anything.) {Sigh}

Portland is always one of my favorite places to visit, but I admit to the occasional eye-rolling when folks put it up on a pedestal. Even my sister admits Oregonians can be smug about their popularity and virtuosity. Sure thing, Portland deserves kudos for being progressive in so many ways --it's eco-friendly, gay-friendly, and really just very human-friendly. But it also has challenges like any other city. The public school system is grappling with shrinkage and closures. Oh, and apparently they have a little Meth problem going on. Paradise isn't perfect, I guess.

Nonetheless, Detroit and Portland have a lot to learn from each other. And naturally, when I come here I always enjoy finding ideas to bring back home. Here are a few of my favorite things about PDX. Could they translate to Detroit?

Top Five Favorites:

1) Design. People care about good design here, and you can see and feel it everywhere. In shops like Canoe and Ink & Peat, eateries like Clyde Common and Stumptown and the Doug Fir, hotels like the Ace and Jupiter, and LEED-certified buildings like Ecotrust's Natural Capital Center. Portland doesn't have as much beautiful historic architecture as we have in Detroit, but what it lacks in skyline it makes up for in street-level vitality. Everything from graphic signage to sidewalk fixtures make for more vibrant, walkable neighborhoods and inviting spaces. (And just to be clear: good design is not limited to fancy modern rich-people places. It's everywhere.)

2) Food Carts. I can't think of many things I adore more than Portland's food carts, which much to my delight have been multiplying on Mississippi Ave since my last visit. Not just hot dogs, mind you -- curry, pad thai, falafel, tacos, bento, gellato, bubble tea. So nice to grab a fast, healthy bite on the go for under $10. Plus, from an urban planning standpoint, rows of food carts turn surface parking lots (or "underperforming asphalt,"as Ellen Dunham-Jones calls them) into colorful street markets. In my lifetime, I hope to see at least one downtown Detroit lot converted into an outdoor food court. Just charge the vendors (who each fit neatly into one parking spot) the same you would an annual parking pass -- or hell, even more. I think business types call this a "Win, win."

3) Complete Streets. The MAX light rail system. The Portland Streetcar. Dedicated biking lanes. Need I say more? It's just easy and enjoyable to get around this town. The MAX is even FREE within an area they call "Fareless Square," which covers most of downtown. Hooks for bikes, too. Cyclists are everywhere -- biking not just for recreation, but commuting, too. And guess what? They look fitter & happier. You might think all the rain would deter folks, but not so much. My sister, for instance, is used to packing her rain gear, just in case the skies open mid-ride. Oh, and she owns an automobile, too, so it's not like she's a luddite or something. Cars & bikes can happily co-exist in cities. I'm happy we're finally getting this in Detroit.

4) Smart Growth. Thanks to Portland's Urban Growth Boundary, suburban sprawl has been mitigated as the population has risen. This means a denser, healthier city and a protected natural environment surrounding it. They understand that one of Portland's greatest assets is its unique geography. Here, you're within striking distance of both ocean and mountains -- 80 miles to the Pacific, 80 miles to Mount Hood. Urban density preserves the natural beauty. In fact, the motto of their regional government is: "People Places. Open Spaces." I'm ALL about this. For too long, SE Michigan's motto has been more like: "Auto Places. Parking Spaces." This can't change soon enough.

5) Green Everything. From buildings to parks to organic food and clean energy, Portland is so damn green. I'm more of a soaring-skyscrapers-and-urban-canyons kind of girl, but I can honestly say I feel better here. Maybe it's all the oxygen emanating from the lush foliage (the upside of all this rain, I suppose). But it's also an ethos.

Just for one example, my sister works at Energy Trust, a non-profit that offers efficiency and cost-savings education and incentives. It's funded by a small "public purpose charge" collected by the major utilities. Energy Trust has helped save Oregonians $600 million since 2002 by making energy-efficiency improvements and generating clean, renewable power. Just to put it in perspective, the Detroit equivalent, The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW), has raised $83 million since 1985 for energy assistance to low-income families. Assistance, not alternatives. We've gotta think bigger and do better.

So those are some big things. I can point to some other little things, too. Like no sales tax. Or the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city. Or the world's largest bookstore, Powell's. (Hmm, what does it say about a place that people like to read here?) Or the fact that Portland has the largest concentration of both micro-breweries AND strip clubs in the country.

Books + Beer + Boobs = Livability and Prosperity?