8.23.2011

More than a Footnote: Observing Homelessness in Portland

During lunch yesterday, while the interpreter took a well-deserved break, a poignant conversation emerged when one of the delegates from St. Petersburg asked a seemingly benign question:

"What are all these people building beds on the streets?"

"I'm sorry, could you repeat the question, I don't understand."

"The people, they are lying down in the streets everywhere. It is not very pretty. Why is the city promoting that?"

Again, more confusion. Then, clarity: "Ah, you're talking about the homeless, yes. Portland has a pretty significant problem with homelessness."

"Where are all these refugees coming from?"

"I don't think most of them are refugees."

[Long pause.]

"So these are not foreigners? They're American citizens? These are your own people?"

"Yup, most of them."

[Another long pause.]

"Wow, that's unbelievable."

Source: KATU News

Old World meets New: Russia's Young Leaders Visit Portland

This week, First Stop Portland is hosting a delegation of young leaders from St. Petersburg, Russia who have come to Portland because they see it as "one of the best examples of human-made and natural landscapes in the world" and they are looking to take away lessons from Portland's experiences in sustainable development and apply them to the many challenges they face back at home, where they are working to shape old St. Petersburg into an energy-efficient and accessible 21st Century city.

Jillian Detweiler, TriMet & Dean Larry Wallack, PSU College of Urban and Public Affairs, with St. Petersburg's emerging leadership

8.02.2011

Korean Daily "Dong-A Ilbo" features Portland Transportation Innovations

This July, a reporter from one of South Korea's largest newspapers, Dong-A Ilbo, toured the city with First Stop Portland to learn more about Portland's approach to environmental conservation through innovations in transportation. Seoul is currently working on a bicycle strategy to deal with environmental issues, although, according to Soojun Shin, lead reporter for the story, it's still a pretty scary place to cycle.



In addition to meeting with folks from Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainable Development (to talk about the city's Climate Action Plan) and Bureau of Transportation (to learn more about the 2030 Bicycle Plan), we stopped by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's (BTA) new digs in Old Town to meet with their director, Rob Sadowsky, who shared some of the lessons he's learned as an advocate in Portland's efforts to become a more bike-friendly city.

As we hear time and again from the experts we encounter, Portland's commitment to transparency in local politics and development of partnerships between the public sector, business, NGOs, and citizens is key. "We've learned to praise loudly and criticize softly," says Sadowsky of Portland's democratic culture and effective advocacy groups. "Then we get inside and effect change from the inside out."

Cascadia's Economic Leaders tour PDX by Bicycle



PNWER, the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, recently held it's annual summit in Portland. A selection of these high level delegates opted to explore the city Portland-style by way of a three-hour bike tour of Portland's bicycle infrastructure. This tour, led by Mia Birk, showed riders how the city has adapted to the exponential growth in city cyclists, along with innovative ways the city has promoted transportation options. Riders experienced greens streets, cycle tracks, buffered bike lanes, and other infrastructure developed to support cycling in Portland. A big shout out to PSU's own Bike Hub for graciously accommodating our bike rental needs!