VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY:
The visionPDX Input Report

URBAN LIVABILITY:
Population Growth

  


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Portlanders have mixed feelings about population growth.

Section Summary

When it comes to the topic of population growth, Portlanders have strong and widely differing opinions. Some feel the city is the right size now, others feel that it has already become too large and still others think that Portland is currently too small. These disagreements over what the “ideal” size of Portland should be are borne out in respondents’ differing visions of the future.

One group wants Portland’s population to stay roughly the same or even shrink and advocates policies to discourage growth. Another group reluctantly accepts population growth and advocates for policies which will keep Portland livable in the face of this growth. A final group welcomes growth, believing Portland will benefit from new ideas, more diversity, more culture, more jobs and increased tourism. While this last group is probably the smallest, all three perspectives are voiced by many respondents, making this one of the more contentious sections of the input report.

Note: Some of the themes and ideas mentioned in this section are elaborated upon and/or repeated in the section on Urban Livability: Growth Management. A reading of both sections would therefore provide the most complete picture of Portlanders views on the topic of growth.

Summary of Main Ideas

  1. Portland is the right size now; let’s keep it that way.
  2. Portland is already too big and crowded.
  3. Portland is too small; growth should be encouraged.
  4. Population growth threatens Portland’s cherished livability.
  5. Population growth does not have to reduce Portland’s livability.

Summary of Tensions and Disagreements

  1. What size should Portland strive to be?
  2. Can population growth be controlled?
  3. Should density be encouraged or discouraged?

MAIN IDEAS

  1. Portland is the right size now; let’s keep it that way.
  • Many people mention how much they like Portland’s current size and the fact that it’s not too big or too crowded (comments on this can also be found in Urban Livability: Family Friendly and Urban Livability: Small-Town Feeling).
  • Many people are grateful that Portland is not like Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle, with all the traffic problems, crime and “big city hassles.”
  • A number of respondents voice the opinion that population growth can be averted through proper planning, disagreeing with the assessment that this growth is an inevitable fact.
“We must not assume that population growth cannot be influenced by public policy. If we view current predictions as cast in stone, and we only plan on accommodating the growth, then we will be the agents of that growth. We must find ways to shape and control the growth such that it will not be at the expense of the amenities we cherish.”

“[In 2030] sprawl has been prevented and regional population has remained stable, successfully averting the basic resource scarcity plaguing the rest of the world.”

  1. Portland is already too big and crowded.
  • Many respondents feel that Portland used to be the perfect size but is now growing too fast and becoming too large and overcrowded.
  • Recent growth has reduced livability by increasing traffic, housing costs and crowding while reducing greenspace.
  • Respondents attribute some of the recent overcrowding to new developments that create housing for additional people.
“We are also losing our sense of difference as more people move here. The very attributes that attract many to Portland and the metro areas are being swamped or simply let go as incomers try to recreate the communities they were comfortable with back home.”

“They should stop overcrowding the city. Everyday they build more houses on land. They’re cutting down all of what makes Portland/Oregon beautiful (the trees).”

“More is not necessarily better. All one has to do is visit cities on the East Coast of this country and one will realize that increase in size means increase in the complexity of life – more violence, more congestion, lower quality of air and water, poorer school systems, etc… The impact our numbers have on the environment is obvious at this point.”

Sample Strategies:

  1. “Stop advertising how ‘livable’ we are, so that not everyone in the universe wants to move here!”
  2. “Promote the idea that humans should reverse our population growth, consume less resources, and get outside for the love of nature and exercise.”
  3. Stop building so many new condos and apartments.
  4. “Politicians need to talk about oil depletion, population growth, resource issues…politicians able to speak candidly and honestly.”
  5. Set aside unused areas to be exempt from development.
  1. Portland is too small; growth should be encouraged.
  • Some believe that population growth is needed in order to make the city more ethnically and culturally diverse.
  • Others feel that Portland is not sufficiently cosmopolitan and growth will bring needed cultural amenities that Portland currently lacks.
  • A few respondents like living in a growing city, as this makes Portland feel dynamic, “up and coming” and like an interesting place to be.
“Because of the sustained influx of people from across the country and of immigrants, [in 2030] Portland will have lost it’s ‘provincial’ feel for good and will be more cutting-edge.”

“I would like to see the area of downtown grow in size and in population.”

“If I could see changes, I want Portland to grow and be more diverse.”

“The growth is great. New people = new ideas = more jobs = more culture = more great stuff to do.”

Sample Strategies:

  1. “Build skyscrapers with adjacent services and infrastructure to support these new communities within existing city boundaries.”
  2. Reduce fear of newcomers and create an enviornment of openness to people of other cultures and communities.
  3. “I really think Portland’s economy would need to be better and the job situation in this state would have to be improved in order to attract folks to the area.”
  4. “Can Portland families be sold on the desirability of living—like the most of the rest of the world—in a flat? We have yet to design a higher-rise district like the Pearl that is pitched to family living. We can do better at planning for children as we increase density, a la Vancouver, B.C.”
  1. Population growth threatens Portland’s cherished livability.
  • Many believe that population growth is inevitable and worry about the impact it will have on the city’s livability.
  • Respondents are particularly concerned about the effects of population growth on:
    • Traffic;
    • Housing affordability;
    • Availability of greenspace, access to nature and views;
    • Education and the public school system;
    • Access to services;
    • Sense of community; and
    • “Portland values” such as friendliness, open-mindedness, laid-back pace (for more on how people define this, see Urban Livability: The People).
“Right now, the critical issues we face are growth, livability, and education. We must promote smart-growth development including livable affordable housing. We must update the area’s water-works, clean-up the Willamette, protect watersheds, and educate our children.”

“I hope and dream that PDX will be able to accommodate the expected growth while staying true to the small town/big city feel that makes it so special.”

  1. Population growth does not have to reduce Portland’s livability.
  • A number of respondents believe that livability can be maintained, even as Portland grows to become a larger city.
  • These respondents advocate for planning for population growth now, so that it does not catch the City by surprise.
“[In 2030] The city has a higher population, but is still affordable and livable. Sprawl has been contained and traffic has not gotten worse. The density has risen but not at the cost of green spaces. Local businesses are still common and cost effective. Corporate chains have not invaded every street side.”

“[In 2030] it’s a much bigger city, but more compact, smartly designed with lots of nature, sustainable design and art incorporated into the city. Natural habitat is preserved and there is low impact development that works in harmony with natural environment.”

“Although our population has expanded, it still includes a healthy number of families and children; there are opportunities for community involvement and action, we welcome diversity and are proud of every citizen’s accomplishments; law enforcement and the justice system are internationally known for being people-centered and producing positive outcomes for all concerned.”

Sample Strategies:

  1. The City needs to improve basic infrastructure to prepare for growth (e.g., widen roads, expand public transportation, increase the amount of greenspace).
  2. Build more “smart housing” that is dense and yet still offers residents access to greenspace and views of nature.
  3. “Be more Portland with every decision. We need to grow into a big Portland, not a small Seattle or Bay Area."

TENSIONS AND DISAGREEMENTS

  1. What size should Portland strive to be?

    Most of the disagreements that run through this section stem from a core disagreement over the ideal size of Portland as a city. Some imagine a much larger city in the future, others a smaller city and still others a city that has retained its current size. These major differences in vision play out in widely differing policy and strategy preferences on topics such as growth management, land use and development.
  1. Can population growth be controlled?

    Another major disagreement revolves around whether population growth can be controlled or influenced by the community. Some respondents feel that population growth is inevitable and the wisest response is to plan adequately for anticipated growth. Others strongly believe that population growth can be controlled and even prevented with the right set of policies, incentives and other tools. These respondents see planning for growth as tantamount to encouraging it and advocate instead for policies that discourage newcomers from moving to Portland.

  1. Should density be encouraged or discouraged?

    Those who advocate planning for growth feel that density should be encouraged as a way to preserve greenspace, views and housing affordability as additional people move to Portland. These Portlanders strongly support the Urban Growth Boundary and view density as a key tool in the “smart growth” toolbox.

    Many of those who oppose growth also oppose increasing density in the urban core. These respondents feel that creating additional housing simply makes it easier for people to move to Portland, accelerating the process of population growth. Some also feel that Portland is already “overcrowded” and that any increase in density will make this worse. Finally, high-density development is blamed by some for blocking views, creating unattractive infill and “ruining” the character of historic neighborhoods (see “Growth Management” and “Land Use” for more discussion of these issues).