While they are leanring maybe they can leanr how to proofread.

We aspire to be like Vancouver or Barcelona, but with the current state of our municipal finances, we're more like Harrisburg or Vallejo.

Somewhere this morning I ran across an article on how the economy down under was the pits. Housing is over priced, etc.

But if the dunderheads around here are serious they might try looking at Melbourne where as I recall the transit system is run by a private company.

What's funny is that in the Williamsburg and Park Slope areas of Brooklyn, all the hipsters can talk about is how they want to turn the whole borough into another Portland. That is, when they aren't threatening to move back to Portland if they don't get their pet bike lane projects and the like. (I may sound overly cynical, but whenever I hear someone threatening to move back because "it's sooooooo much cooler in Portland," I want to respond "Puh-LEEEEEEEZE, Brer Fox! Don't throw me in that briar patch!")

Oh, great.

So the Schnitz isn't good enough, we now need to build an iconic Opera House? At the disused Terminal 2, so it can also be waterfront and allow further de-industrialization up Front Avenue? Or are we going to evict Union Pacific's Albina Yard?

This is a total planner thing. Convinced that someone is doing it much better somewhere else. Or convinced that if we just hire a consulting firm from further away this time, that they'll give us much better answers.

And then the planners from Sydney come here, convinced that no one in Sydney has the right answers.

I think the only thing she's really planning is her trip to Sydney.

Here's a new idea for the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, or whatever:

Let's make Portland be more like... PORTLAND.

If I want to live in Vancouver, I'll live in Vancouver. If I want to live in Barcelona, I'll live in freakin Barcelona. Stop trying to be like other places, and be yourself!

It reminds me of all the people going in to Hot Topic to buy those vintage T-shirts so they can look unique, just like everyone else.

Snards:This is a total planner thing. Convinced that someone is doing it much better somewhere else. Or convinced that if we just hire a consulting firm from further away this time, that they'll give us much better answers. .

Looks like Charlie Hales (former Portland City Commissioner) was a consultant for the Scottsdale transportation plan. Yes, Snards is right about convincing that if we just hire a consultant firm from further away . . .

Anyway found this from a Jan. 2008 Scottsdale,azcentral.com member's blog site comments. This blog wouldn't accept the link but you should be able to find it under title "Council Can't Detour Around Transit Issues":

'The Scottsdale City Council likely will adopt a transportation master plan this month.
And businesses will continue to worry about the difficulty employees from other parts of the Valley encounter in getting to Scottsdale. Tourism leaders will continue to worry about visitors growing weary of streets turning into parking lots. Year-round residents will continue to throw their hands up in frustration over getting from Point A to Point B.

The $1.2 million transportation study was a lot like the bikinis sold in Scottsdale's upscale boutiques: an awful lot of money for a tiny amount of material.

Consultant Charles Hales of HDR Inc. said the study showed Scottsdale has such a good road network and such a small congestion problem that it's no longer necessary to widen some roads in the north. His study offered a creative approach to easing congestion in the Airpark, but ducked on every other tough issue.
Perhaps he took his cue from the City Council. . .

Sydney?

Y'know that icon of Sydney? The Opera House. I was told by Aussies that it was a public contract nightmare...a real 'soak the taxpayer' scam.

...hmmm...maybe that's why Sydney has moved up.

It seems to me we had some exile from there in our Parks Department. Someone who'd stuck them with a nightmare...

Grimwad, wasn't it?