Winter comes with inspiration

While the Planning Bureau fine-tunes the recommendations out of the Residential Infill Project to have them better reflect what neighbors want, a celebrated urban planner comes to share with Portlanders how other cities have kept their character and their faith that new development can be an asset to the place where it rises. 

Man with a plan: Noré Winter protects
and inspires pride of place.

As we've recently seen in Portland, that's rarely been the case. The record numbers of demolitions also have involved so many unregulated emissions of hazmat that more news outlets are taking note. How long until we live in Superfund sites?

Noré Winter crisscrosses the country spreading a sustainable message. He's helped other cities protect resources such as affordable old-growth housing and buildings and at the same time designed improved guidelines for new construction. (Education break: Here's an article on why people love old buildings, a lot of which also applies to homes.)

Mr. Winter will discuss his experiences helping fast-growing cities plan for growth while protecting existing single-family housing. His comments will suggest alternatives to the recent recommendations of the Residential Infill Project in moderating scale of new builds in our neighborhoods.

Sound good? Instead of shaking your head at the arrival of another trackhoe down the block, get inspired by some fresh thinking beyond teardowns and demolitions from 6:30 to 8:30 Monday, Oct. 17, at the White Stag Block, University of Oregon Portland campus, main event room (142/144), 70 N.W. Couch. It's free, but please register.

After the contentious open houses over the summer when the public sensed the profit-driven basis for planners' first try at capturing the intent of the Residential Infill Project, local planners have their work cut out for them to create measures that better fit the original mission of the task force. Over Winter's 30 years in the field, and projects in 48 states, he has done work noted for its successful implementation and ability to create a climate for investment. Good development benefits everyone, and its environs.

All these months, activists were told that the Residential Infill Project was meant to reduce demolitions and address issues of scale; unfortunately, the first ideas out of the project would accelerate teardowns. Perhaps many of Portland's planners are insulated from this destructive trend; for instance, the director of Portland planning lives in Irvington, a neighborhood largely protected from demolition development.

It's all the more reason to be writing those letters, submitting comment, and appearing at City Council. If they don't hear from us, they're only hearing one side of the story, presented by the people who can afford paid lobbyists out of their profits.

Portland Together presents the Noré Winter event, with help from United Neighborhoods for Reform, Portland Coalition for Historic Resources, individual donors, Architectural Heritage Center, Restore Oregon, and the University of Oregon Preservation Department.