Disagreements over where to shelter and treat homeless addicts undermine confidence in the “smart growth” approach to city planning
Portland used to be all about livability. In his 1993 anti-sprawl polemic Geography of Nowhere, James Howard Kunstler wrote that Portland “embodies the most hopeful and progressive trends in American city life and especially in urban planning.”
The city will forever be associated with the sketch comedy series Portlandia, which depicted a social order centered around craft light bulb makers, zucchini milk, and adults participating in hide-and-seek leagues.
But today, Portland is anything but livable. Crime is so bad that businesses have gone cashless “for the safety of our employees,” hired private security, who are sometimes armed, and locked down products of even modest value to thwart shoplifters.
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Stephen Eide is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images