I've said it before and I'll say again... Portland is like a giant version of the Winchester House in San Jose, California - things get built so that things can keep getting built. Sometimes what just finished getting built is torn back down so that it can be... are you ready?... built again.

Seems that nothing changes...My Grandfather referred to the CCC & WPA workers as "Shovel Leaner's", it seems that it also applies to CoP & TriMet employees too!

I believe those are shredded documents from City Hall so that Lavonne can't find out any more dirt on the current puppets in power.

You wouldn't want those bricks to move, would you?

Get used to it - They have a 20-year plan to repave that mall every 2.5 years. Meanwhile potholes in the rest of town can continue to grow.

You just need to understand whats important to these idiots.

I say revert all City streets to dirt.

It worked well for Portland for the first 50 years of the city's existence (you know, after most of what is downtown was marshland and wetlands, and was unenvironmentally filled in by land developers to build a city on killing all sorts of wildlife that was in the path.) It works well for much of Southwest Portland and East Portland who is treated only as a "tax collection district" of Portland rather than actually part of the city.

It can work great for downtown Portland. Think of all the money we'll save by not having to maintain these streets! And cars will drive so slow - it'll be perfect for pedestrian safety!

It's always helpful to point out that landfill and streets are less environmentally functional than wildlands. It illustrates the utter pointlessness of having any sort of environmental protections, since no one can exist without negatively impacting the environment in some ways.

"since no one can exist without negatively impacting the environment in some ways."

That really is the problem. Mankind exists at the expense of the environment.

Human extinction is the only right thing to do .

Those *&?$#@!!! bricks are murder on high heels. Every woman who has walked downtown in heels has had one get stuck in a crack.

My next-door neighbor's building a flagstome patio (helped him haul about 2 tons of stones uphill to the site; some fun!) and he's using a type of sand mix that sets up after it gets wet. Not like cement, but not as loose as sand.

Of course, the city probably likes things just the way they are.

That's not sand -- it's a mixture of diamonds & pixie dust.

Sam L. has hit on it. The sand allows the bricks to move.

So hide and watch as the next 6.0 quake hits Pill Hill and there is slack in the tram cables you will notice that not a brick has been broken. Now that's sustainability!

Let's say you are a hypothetical City Engineer. During your tenure you approve a design for sand set pavers to be used. You later become head of Transportation and learn how sand set pavers are a continuing maintenance issue. You know that concrete can be colored and stamped to resemble brick paving that would provide the same appearance as the sand set pavers with little if any maintenance. You don't call for any replacement of the constantly failing system. Instead, you retire and start up Portland Mall Management. Now new entity you head can be paid to repair the design you previously okayed. This task never ends.
It is definitely good to be the boss. If you are reporting to this City's most incompetent Mayor, you really have it made.
I know this is all supposition and imagination, but it could happen.

I did not realize hardhats were required for sweeping. Next time I have to sweep my porch I will have to make sure I have ALL my safety equipment on.

Thaddeus, please wear your steel toed boots too.

This reminds me of visiting monks who spend days building elaborate mandalas out of colored sand, then watch as they are quickly destroyed. The monks happily move on, and start over.

In a city of the faithless, this ritual of civic devotion will never end, either.