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From Parking To People in Portland, Oregon 16

The Market Square, the Town, and the Planet
 
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 6 June 2013.
 
Last month I wrote about the Campus Martius in Detroit, which is by any standard an extremely successful public square in the heart of the city, and an example of what can be achieved by thoughtful and well-planned revitalization.  Another such place is Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon, ranked by the Project for Public Spaces as the fourth best public square in the world.

Pioneer Courthouse Square occupies one city block and is therefore similar in size to our Market Square.  Before revitalization, it was a parking lot.  The threatened building of an eleven-storey parking garage motivated the downtown businesses and the City to make the block into an outdoor space that would attract local residents and visitors alike.
 And so began the process of making the Square into a people place.  This process involved an international design competition.  The debate – along with many other issues – included discussions about whether making the area into open public space would contribute to crime. 

Concerns about funding delayed the process.  The breakthrough came when the designer of the square, with helpers and donated paint, painted the entire square design on the parking lot.  Part of the money was raised by “selling” 50,000 bricks to individual citizens; each of these bricks is marked with the name of the donor, and there is a website which tells donors where they can find their brick.  This idea is credited with giving Portlanders a real sense of being part of “their square.”  Funding also came from municipal and federal sources and an adjacent department store.  The regional transit agency, TriMet, was a key agent in the Square’s successful development and has an information centre there.  The Square is well-served by bus and light rail.

Like other squares that I’ve researched, this one is managed by a non-profit group that maintains it, organizes events, and continues to raise funding for its operation.  This group, which includes stakeholders from the community and the City, determines the direction in which the Square – its appearance and use – will evolve.

Pioneer Courthouse Square’s design includes public art, flowers, trees and a water feature.  There are stairs designed for sitting on, and there is a speaking podium.  There is a coffee shop, and there are food vendors.   It is the site for events such as concerts, movies, rallies, heritage days, and festivals of all kinds.

The Square is now the most-visited site in Portland, attracting 10 million people per year.  The surrounding area is pedestrian-friendly, and larger businesses have located their premises there because of the increased pedestrian use.  Crime has significantly decreased.
​
So we have here another interesting example of what can be done, and of the benefits that a revitalized downtown square can bring to the whole area.  Cooperation by the city, the residents, and many other agencies and organizations led to the creation of this great public space.
 
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer.  She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website 
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