Maybe I missed something, but I find it curious that the linked article lacks any mention of the commercial parking lot that is sequestered under Director Park.

When I first heard of the "parking under the park" promotion, I immediately thought of a time in 1973 in Avignon, France.

Laborers were carefully removing every stone from the plaza in front of Avignon's Palace of the Popes (Palais des Papes) in preparation of a multi-level parking lot that was to be built below the plaza.
Upon completion of the parking complex, every cobblestone of the plaza would be meticulously put back in place.

Urban planners in Portland are fond of calling the West Coast metropolis “the best European city in America,”

Oh, now I know why I've hated the way Portland has been going. I liked Portland, if I'd wanted to live in a european city, I'd have moved to Europe.

"The designers’ attempt to create a “shared street”—without sidewalks or road markings delineating separate spaces for cars and pedestrians—was muddled by the need to conform to U.S. code."

Don'cha just hate having to follow the rules?

Pioneer Courthouse square must be a falsely urban space.

Urban planners in Portland are fond of calling the West Coast metropolis “the best European city in America".

(Groan!)and others are fond of calling statements like this your typical pretentious rot.

I think it so nice that we have someone from the east as the lead designer. That way we don't get too much northwestern influence into the design.

Since Pioneer Courthouse Square is suppose to be our Living Room, Director Park sure doesn't look like my Den.

But, Olin argues, this kind of mixed-use planning requires some open-mindedness on the part of local policy-makers and community members. “As American cities become more urban,” he says, “we need to learn how to be good urban citizens.”

What does this mean to learn how to be good urban citizens?

I really like how the drawing is done from the perspective of the 4th floor of the new tower - wait, isn't that a hole in the ground?

And, won't that tower forever block that urban dream of the north park blocks?

What drivel

Clinamen--I think it means we have to learn how to share space between cars and pedestrians and to know not to drink the water in the fountains and how to sit and look tres chic in the cafes in the parks.

Interestingly, no mention of bicycles. Do they not get to share the space?

And how do the "shared streets" work out in Europe anyhow?

I think its a beautiful park and we are lucky to have it.

Lucky to have it??! It costs A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR to maintain. We are cursed to have it.

And how do the "shared streets" work out in Europe anyhow?

They're talking about this. The idea is that without so many traffic control devices, paint on the road, etc. people will actually pay attention to what's going on around them and crash less, not more.

According to the Oregonian, it costs under $500K a year, Larry.

Aaron, I'm with ya, pal.

Let's take the dividers off the freeways, too and just let people use whatever lanes they want in either direction. That way, they'll pay more attention and we'll have fewer accidents. Makes sense to me!

Last I saw it was $1M... but let's go with your figure of under $500k. You're still going to make the argument that that's money well spent?

Pioneer Square is ONE BLOCK AWAY! We have entire swaths of East Portland without a decent park anywhere nearby. I was working to get a barkdust path put into one horrible "park" (in reality just a big weedy field) out here, and the city parks people said they couldn't do it becuase there are no funds to maintain it. Same with trash cans - can't do it because there is no money to have them emptied.

I wonder how many paths could be maintained and trash cans emptied with $500,000? You know, out here in the part of Portland where families actually live.

So you just go ahead and enjoy your gilded "urban space" that's a mere block away from another "urban space". Between the money spent at Director's Park and the one down on South Waterfront, I'm pissed off.

Can the city just send the maintanence bill to Jordan Schnitzer at HARSCH Inv? They can afford that to pay for remembering the grandparents.

Aaron, I'm with ya, pal.

Let's take the dividers off the freeways, too and just let people use whatever lanes they want in either direction. That way, they'll pay more attention and we'll have fewer accidents. Makes sense to me!

That doesn't sound like a great idea to me. But what about getting rid of speed limits on the freeways, or at least setting them a lot higher?

Actually no, I don't think setting the limits higher is the same idea. But getting rid of the them altogether autobahn-style, definitely.