Portland Part 2: A Childless City

[John Zeger]

In addition to an increase in traffic congestion and air pollution another unwelcome aspect of "smart growth" is the absence of children from the community. "Smart growth" emphasizes high density living which may be attractive to retirees or yuppie couples without children but which simultaneously repells families with children who opt for more traditional forms of housing with greater space and who cannot afford the high price-tag attached to the luxury condos. Portland, Oregon, the leader in "smart growth" is also becoming a leader among "childless" cities as this article testifies. www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6000

If Kelowna follows the "smart growth" model, it will also experience the decline in the quality of life that other "childless cities" have experienced. In fact, Kelowna is already well on that path. According to B.C. Statistics and the Economic Development Commission the percentage of children of school age has declined from 23.7% of the total populatiion in 1976 to 16.4% in 2001 and is projected to decline to 12.4% by 2021. It is no wonder we are hearing reports of school closures.

The type of housing we build will determine the future shape of our community. If we build mostly high density housing, as advocated by our planning department and city council, we will have an imbalanced community abundant with retirees but with few families. In the meanwhile our quality of life will be diminished as seeing a child playing in a city park will become as rare as the sighting of a whooping crane.

[bo916]

what about other cities that implement the smart growth method?

are they all becoming childless?? or are you again trying to form a pattern out of only one instance

[Rick Shea]

Matt says "what about other cities that implement the smart growth method? are they all becoming childless?? or are you again trying to form a pattern out of only one instance"


...and are you trying to deny the validity of this example, and the lessons that may come from it?

Matt, people in this forum have posted many examples and questions that you have yet to address. Let's see some examples from your perspective, with a summary and analysis of why they are good examples (something others here have been more than willing to do). Of course, you'll have to give enough examples to "form a pattern." And how about answering some of the real questions that have been posted in other threads -- questions I suspect you really don't have any good answers for, but I'm waiting patiently.

[John Zeger]

Again, Matt, you haven't done your reading and research. The link within the post identifies 10 major cities characterized by "dense vertical housing" that are becoming "childless." I know you are eager to try and discredit everything on our forum, but next time before posting a message just stop, take a deep breath, and THINK.

[prodevlp]

This is true but it is not directly related to "Smart Growth". There are other reasons. I've read something like this elsewhere. It is an interesting read though.

[guest]

How about providing a link to your "something like this?"

While you're at it, look up the name Earl Blumenauer. As a member of Portland's council, he helped enormously to shape the current city. He is now a member of Congress, and has been a leading advocate of "smart growth" since before his time on Portland's council.

So, Portland was "revitalized" by smart growth policies, the link John provided clearly states that "dense vertical housing" is a characteristic of this revitailization, so what do you mean when you say that this is not directly related to smart growth?

[John Zeger]

As the guest implies, increasing residential densities is the essence of "smart growth."

[bo916]

you what i find interesting about that link?

"PORTLAND, Ore. - The Pearl District in the heart of this perpetually self-improving city seems to have everything in new urban design and comfort, from the Whole Foods store where fresh-buffed bell peppers are displayed like runway models to the converted lofts that face sidewalk gardens.......Crime is down. New homes and businesses are sprouting everywhere."

the funny thing is is that Mr Zeger posted something a little while ago mentioning that portland was one of America's most depressed cities, and that if kelowna followed this, it would become depressed. Rick, you also mentioned that due to crime and unemployment (not sure if you used unemployment, but it is an issue) that kelowna already is depressed.

however, from this article, it says that crime is down and business is up. it says that the city attacts people to it, and that it is a beautiful wonderful place to live.

i'm just stating the contradictions.

would you Rick, or John like to explain this to me?

[Rick Shea]

Actually, all you have to do is read the rest of the article, which explains things very well.

[bo916]

the rest mostly just talked about the lack of children, and how it affects how much money the education system makes.

Kelowna already does have an issue though involving lack of children, but i would say that it is not only children, but middle aged residents as well.

this should however be a natural thing at the moment though, as the Baby Boomers move into retirement. so i won't be surprised to see the number of retirees in kelowna dramatically increase over the next few years.

[Rick Shea]

The last sentence is quite interesting, given what's currently happening in Kelowna.

"Portland is a great city that attracts a lot of educated people," she said. "But the real estate is becoming outrageously expensive. And then you get wealthy singles and wealthy retirees. What's missing are kids. And that feels really sterile to me."

And, by the way Matt, you are the one who stated that Kelowna is already depressed.

[Rick Shea]

Just to show you that you can't always believe everything you hear in the media, here's a quote from the September 2004 Citizens Crime Commission of Portland monthly update:


"Violent Crime is down across all precincts, but residential burglaries are sky rocketing due to the methamphetamine epidemic."

Yes, a healthy well-adjusted city it is.

[Rick Shea]

Of course, some of what I'm quoting following this can be considered to be opinion and speculation, but there does appear to be trouble in "smart growth" city. Yes, this is from an anti-sprawl website, but it's food for thought.

"As people continue to pour into Portland and Oregon, development pressures within the "containment vessel" of the Urban Growth Boundaries are intensifying. Indeed, articles warning of "gaps" and "cracks" in "the Great Wall of Portland" have become legion. And resistance to the ever-higher densities and in-fill development promoted by regional planning authorities as the way to grow without sprawl appears to be spreading even here in "Ecotopia." Increasing numbers of Portland residents are decrying the added congestion and surging housing prices that are the result of trying to prevent sprawl while having rapid population growth." ( www.sprawlcity.org/portland.html )

And next,

"By 1990, land consumption per L.A. resident had dropped to 0.11 acre. That made Los Angeles the most densely populated Urbanized Area in America. No other urban area provided so little land per resident. This is a model that Smart Growth planners could wish for all Americans." ( www.sprawlcity.org/losangeles.html )

and to go along with that

" Even with the increased density, the result of the L.A. population growth was that another 394 square miles of orchards, farmland, natural habitat and other open and rural spaces were lost to urbanization. It is a sobering lesson in what the best example of dense-living in America had to offer.

Thus, just as Los Angeles is a model for meeting the Smart Growth goal of high-density living, it also is a model of how Smart Growth initiatives are likely to fail to stop sprawl under current federal population-growth policies." (ibid)

The latest date I can find at that website is 2000, and I note that some of the data are a bit stale, so does anyone have any more recent data regarding L.A.?