Edlen is convinced sustainable building has finally arrived as a viable business strategy, thanks in part to the Obama administration's view of the green economy as one of the country's primary economic engines.

So basically, he doesnt actually care about the environment. He just found a new way to fleece taxpayers.

It's all about marketing!

I suggest
"Jack Bog's Green Blog"

The money will just roll in...

http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/01/15/delegation-heads-to-the-capitol-for-osc-funding-ssby/

A delegation will travel to Washington D.C. next week to lobby for funding for the Oregon Sustainability Center, which is slated to cost around $90 million.
According to Anne Mangan, spokeswoman for the Portland Development Commission, OSC project partners are still trying to finalize some of the initial funding for the project, which would create the first living building office tower.
A representative from the Governor’s office, Mayor Sam Adams, Mark Edlen of Gerding Edlen Development, Rob Bennett of the Portland Oregon Sustainability Institute and others will travel to the East Coast in the next week to meet with different federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce. . . .

http://www.pdc.us/new/releases/2010/news-release-2010-01-22.asp
The above link, Jan. 22, 2010 PDC news release - $120 million for the proposed Sustainability Center and a list of names who went to DC.

But hey, our city gets almost a full page of print in this week's Economist. We must be doing something right, no?

http://www.economist.com/world/united-states/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15911324

Sounds like a PR piece sent to the Economist.
This is one way the insiders can get more people to come here,
it helps their agenda to transform our once beloved city into what and for whom?

I suspect many come here with savings and hope, how long will that last?
Many others are concerned that after a lifetime here they no longer will be able to afford to live here and may have to make plans to leave.

Jon, most people care about the environment, but Edlen cares more about it because he sees the money opportunity. He's an opportunist. He "believes" in affordable housing if he sees the money like he did with PSU, to build a student housing tower on Broadway. He was well rewarded.

He's now lobbying with CoP and PDC to call student housing, work force housing as "affordable housing" to reap all the tax dollars, subsidies attached.

He sniffs out the coming politically, planning correct agenda and capitalizes on it. And along the way he wines and dines and socializes to help the planning mafia understand and develop the next
fad. He's a partner, and that is what CoP loves-Partnerships, Stakeholders, limited RFPs (Request for Proposals) that narrowly define projects with the latest fad to be met. With Edlen helping to define the fad and RFPs, he's right in the forefront for reimbursement.

If poor Sammy could just hear how the big dogs probably talk about him behind his back.

What European city most reminds me of Portland? How about Stalingrad!

There should be no second chances for the "private partners" of publicly-funded deals that fail. If someone uses public money, such as urban renewal money, or even gets the benefit of SDC deferrals for low-income housing, and then the project fails - they should be barred from ever again participating in publicly funded deals in the future.

But then no one would be left to qualify for handouts.

Nice. So Molly Bordonaro is on the Gerding Edlen team.

Ironic that someone who is supposedly conservative and against big government is at a firm that makes huge money off publicly funded schemes.

I'm beginning to hate the town I grew up in.