Portland's Not Perfect?

Voelpel’s Sunday column today focuses on the not-quite-perfect side of Portland.  The issues?  Homelessness.  Public project costs.  Affordable housing.  My bubble has burst… 

I do have one little comment on the article.  In it, Voelpel cites the Milken best cities report where Tacoma ranks significantly higher than Portland for job and wage growth.  Generally speaking, any statistics I see regarding growth that shows Tacoma moving upward faster than its neighbors, I attribute to the fact that it really sucked to be here for several decades.  On the flipside, I also attribute the livability of our neighborhoods, the friendliness of the community, and the blank slate opportunities throughout downtown to the fact that it really sucked to be here for several decades.  We’re now correcting.  I’ve argued this for the housing market, job growth, and with regard to several other studies showing the influx of various job sectors and/or people.  The key to remember is that growth statistics are relative.  If the starting point is a really small number, incremental improvements seem significantly larger than if we started from a larger number.  We may still be a long ways behind our neighbors, but it looks great on the charts. 

Okay, one other comment.  The public works project example is an aerial tram project to connect the top of a hill to the riverfront.  Costs have escalated from an original estimate of $15 million to $57.6 million.  Given our conversations about aerial trams and public works projects several weeks ago, this example makes me laugh.

If these are the risks and issues associated with success, I think we should try it out for a bit. 

Link to The News Tribune