The Portland Files: Such thing as good Commercial Parking Facilities?

Portland has generally been known as a city implementing progressive urban planning principles such as urban growth boundaries (as mandated by the State), an extensive public transit system (Tri-Met) and a set of cycling infrastructure that compares with many European cities. But remember, Portland is an American city, and so the car still reign supreme. And so we introduce the structured commercial parking facility. This sterilizing of land use is nothing new on this part of the planet, but to see many of these buildings in downtown Portland seems like a slap in the face of growth management policies and the discouragement of using other forms of public transit. But remember, cars are still a vital form of transportation to many. 


The structured commercial parking facility (as opposed to its underground cousin), can be an eyesore if poorly designed and without relation to the street. It can sterilize the street through blank walls and hidden corners making the street unsafe and boring to walk past. A commercial parking facility near my workplace in a municipality west of Toronto is a classic example of what not to do. As shown in the Google Streetview below, the parking garage is a grey, dull, precast concrete structure with cars fully exposed on the ground floor. The little bits of landscaping does little to soften the harsh and polluted image of the structure. The street itself already lacks energy due to the absence of any kind of at-grade pedestrian oriented land use. To top if off, the pedestrian bridge allows users to bypass the street completely, further alienating the street. 

Downtown Portland isn't any better because there are almost a dozen multi-storied structured commercial parking facilities, and that number does not include those attached to an office building or other commercial/residential use. Each of these facilities can take up one city block (200 feet by 200 feet) and are generally 8-10 storeys in height. One in particular is 16 stories in height. Several of these are city-owned lots while the rest are privately owned. With the ability to park several hundred vehicles at a time, these massive buildings are a vital source of off-street parking in downtown Portland. 

So how does Portland treat these commercial parking facilities? One has to look at their Zoning Code where it goes into some detail. Without going too much detail on how the Zoning Code is structured and the different types of parking (i.e. Growth vs Preservation vs Visitor vs Residential/Hotel) the Central City District Plan contains regulations on parking and access. Within the Downtown and University Subdistrict, 50% or more of the street-facing facade must be developed for Retail Sales and Service or Office uses which can be developed at the time of construction or designed for later conversion. The remainder of the street facade would be used for the entrance to the parking garage or for stair entrances. The online source to the Zoning Code and the Central City District Plan can be found starting on page 69 [Link]. In addition to land use, there are also various landscaping requirements to provide further softening of the facility (if required).

The result is a structured parking garage that has more of a defined street presence on the street instead of having a series of blank walls or cars visible from inside the facility. It also allows the parking garage operators additional revenue from leasing commercial space at grade. From a pedestrian perspective the streetscape is far more inviting and less harsh. There are more interesting things to peruse other than a blank wall and feels safer. The photos below show a relation between the pedestrian and the parking facility itself. 

The first photo is an existing commercial parking facility located at SW Alder and SW 6th. Taking up half a block, it is a 12-storey parking facility where the bottom two floors are devoted to retail uses (i.e. candy shop, stationary and office supply shop, clothing store) and are wrapped on all three sides of the building facade. The entrances to the retail stores are on SW 6th which is one of the main commercial streets in downtown Portland. SW 6th is also one of two transit mall locations so the number of pedestrians and transit users is much greater than the average commercial street. The differing uses of building materials show the attention to detail the builder proposed on the first two floors. The top floors, even though is devoted to parking of cars, also has upgraded building materials and design such as an elevator atrium facing SW 6th, and the use of light coloured brick instead of pre-cast concrete. If you look carefully, there is even decorative trim on the top of the building to have some consistency in design with adjoining buildings. This parking facility represents one of the finest examples of what a developer can do to create attractive parking structures. 

The second example below is another parking garage located at SW 5th and SW Salmon and only takes up half of a block. This six-storey parking garage (plus rooftop parking) is also located on the Transit Mall as well, and includes commercial uses at grade. In this case it is a restaurant and a retail store. The entrance to the parking garage is located on SW Salmon. The building at first glance looks less refined than the example above, but stepping away from the building you can make out the finer details of the building such as a set of metal fire stairs on the side of the building, and decorative trim on the roofline. From the street however, you can see a few of the parked cars. It would have been better if the openings were not so large in order to shield the cars from the street. 

The third and final example below shows an existing parking garage where the building facade is comprised of exposed metal beams and colourful tiled panels creating a unique pattern throughout. The design of the facility is so you cannot see the cars from the street. The corner of the building shrouds the parking facility with patterned walls.The ground floor contains numerous retail spaces but at the time of the visit many of these units were vacant. There was a coffee shop closest to one of parking garage entrance, and a retail store on the other parking garage entrance. The eight-storey building (plus rooftop parking) again takes up half a block only.  

Although all of these examples have commercial uses at grade, the design at the ground level is important as well. As the first example shows, exceptional facade design will "show" much better than one that has little thought put on the ground floor, which then attracts better tenants. As the third example show however, there needs to be some investment and attention to the design of the ground floor facade. Simply proposing commercial units at grade does little to maintain the pedestrian vitality of the street. There also needs to be cohesiveness and continuity with surrounding commercial uses. The third example above shows the ground floor appears dated and old.

There are many more examples in the city that showcases how parking facilities such as these can maintain and continue a positive pedestrian experience along a commercial street. And by no means is Portland the only city that does this, as I am pretty sure your own city have examples of parking facilities that have commercial uses at grade. Even in Toronto where I am from, there are a few examples of parking facilities that have commercial uses at grade. But in a place like in Portland where its downtown is so compact and vibrant, requirement of commercial uses at grade not only makes sense, but probably contributed to the success of its commercial streets and its pedestrian experience. 

The Portland Files: The West Hills exposed!

One of Portland's best kept secrets are the hundreds of acres of green space and hillsides that borders the western parts of the city center. Aptly named the West Hills, it is home to both humans and nature alike. Some of the most expensive real estate in the city are located along the steep slopes of the West Hills, and both flora and fauna live in between the spacious single detached dwellings that dot the landscape. The West Hills are also the location of some of the best hiking trails and tourist attractions alike such as the Pittock Mansion and the Oregon Zoo. In Part 2  of the series I take you to what I think is some of the best park land located in the middle of the city. 

Context
The West Hills (also called Tualatin Mountains) is a series of hills that is considered to be a spur of the North Oregon Coast Range [Link]. Stretching along the western part of the City of Portland, it is a unique geologic landmark within the Willamette River Valley and has determined the location of the Columbia River (located to its east of the West Hills) due to its change in topography. The West Hills generally does not contain many high elevations where the highest elevation is 390 metres. This is especially the case if you consider the broader Coast Range where elevations of some of the highest peaks can be in the thousands of metres in height.

The West Hills over time have shaped the way Portland was built. Even today there are few transportation options to go from Portland to Beaverton, a separate municipality west of the city centre. With the US Route 26 (Sunset Highway) providing the main vehicular transportation link with the west end of the urban area and the MAX (the city's LRT network), there are few other transportation alternatives. NE Burnside and NE Cornell Roads are the only streets that traverses the West Hills and provides direct access to the hundreds of homes in the area. Besides being a predominantly upper class residential community, the West Hills are also home to a large network of green space such as Washington Park, Linnton Park, Forest Park, Oregon Zoo, the Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Garden. Although it makes a lot of sense to treat the West Hills as open space, the legacy of such a public place is due to the efforts by the Olmstead Brothers.

Olmstead Portland Park Plan
John Charles Olmsted (his stepfather was Frederick Law Olmsted) was an instrumental figure in the early 1900s and transformed Portland into a city of many connected parks and open spaces we see today. In 1904 he presented the Olmstead Portland Park Plan to city council where the long term vision was to create a series of parks through land acquisition and long term planning to fulfill the document's vision [Link]. Although his vision has still not been fully realized more than one hundred years later, many of the document's elements are currently in place, such as Forest Park and Tryon Creek State Park located further south near Lake Oswego. The image below is the original plan as visioned to be laid out for the city [Link]. 

Source: American Society of Landscape Architects (https://www.asla.org/portland/site.aspx?id=43661)

Tour of the West Hills
Although many of Olmstead's vision was never realized (and with so much urban growth now, probably never will), the numerous parks and attractions within the West Hills is still something to be celebrated. By taking a casual hike in the West Hills as a day trip, it will become quite apparent how it has shaped how Portlanders view nature. As part of a day trip, I took the bus into the city center and then transferred into another bus (Route 15) that takes you into one of the entrances into the park located at NW Thurman and NW 29th. From there you take the series of metal stairs down to the ravine below. 

Lower MacLeay Trail
As you approach the bottom of the ravine you will be greeted by a metal truss bridge. This is the starting point of the Lower MacLeay Trail which then takes you to the broader series of trails within the West Hills. From here and for the next several hours you are treated to vegetation so lush and typical of the Pacific Northwest. Even though this trip was  held in the middle of August and the hottest time of year in Portland, the vegetation was still very green. During this time of year, Balch Creek is nothing but a little stream with very little volume due to the endless days of sun and no rain. Still, the trickling of water down this little waterfall was quite soothing.

There was also some nature amongst the leafy canopy, such as a bright green caterpillar and the nasty looking banana slug. This apparently wasn't even the largest specimen, as these slugs can grow to almost 10 inches in length.

Witches Castle
A fifteen minute easy stroll on the Lower MacLeay Trail will take you to what is called the Witches Castle. Despite the name, the stone structure appears to be a former house built by someone located in the middle of a forest. The structure is completely abandoned and other than the stone walls there is nothing else that remains. It is a reminder however that you are still within very close proximity to the city. This pitstop is also where the Wildwood Trail meets the Lower MacLeay Trail and the level of difficulty in traversing the trail rises a notch.

Wildwood TrailOne of the main trails in the entire trail system in Forest Park is Wildwood Trail, which links several large tourist attractions such as the Pittock Mansion and the Oregon Zoo. You literally can go from one end of Portland and to many destinations around the West Hills without the necessity of a car. But of course by the time you get to your destination, you are likely going to be sweaty and used up all your energy. That is because the trail takes you through a variety of slope conditions from flat to downright scary especially if you are afraid of heights. 

The trail really teaches you a lot about conservation and the protection of the city's natural areas, as I did not see any garbage during my three hour hike, nor was there the smell of weed anywhere, despite Oregon being one of the first states in the US to legalize recreational marijuana use. From an urban planner's perspective, Forest Park and the West Hills in general is an example of environmental protection against developer interest. If it wasn't for the number of parks and trails in the area, the entire West Hills could have become a haven for wealthy Portlanders. 

The Portland Files: Food Carts and Food Pods

Portland has been for the past decade an active foodie paradise, and is one of the reasons why I love this city so much. A quick whisk around downtown Portland, or in some of the commercial streets like Alberta and Mississippi will reveal a plethora of different cuisines.  If you eat a meal in Portland, chances are the ingredients come from local sources. Even Burgerville, a fast-food joint originating from Vancouver, Washington, sources most of its ingredients within 400 miles from the city it was founded. In a previous blog post about independent (non-franchise) food establishments and the growing local economy [Link], one of the keys to success in a local economy is the ability for local and tourist populations to support home grown restaurants. And in Portland this is especially the case due to the large number of bricks and mortar locations and food carts. It is the food carts that are the focus of this article. 

For starter's, a food cart is not your usual hotdog stand nor is it an illegal shack in the middle of the city whilst strangers secretly prepare radioactive food for your consumption. These are legitimate food establishments that have become tourists attractions in their own right. Both locals and tourists alike flock to food carts for a quick lunch as their typical business hours are between 11am to 4pm. Some remains open until 6pm especially in downtown where office workers adjourn to their abode for the day. 

So what exactly is a food cart? As you can see below they typically are immobile structures that are not intended to be moved around but can be in the event the carts need to be hauled away. Often times they are refurbished RV trailers such as an Airstream popular in the 1960s. Other than electricity supplied by the land owner, they typically use propane as a source of heat. These carts have an opening towards the sidewalk to interact with customers, and a menu board to the side of the cart. An awning is typical of a food cart to allow shade from the elements and the ability to close the opening when closing shop. Food carts do not serve alcohol and many (especially in downtown locations) do not offer seating. Those that do have a few seats for paying customers only. Each cart requires a license through Multnomah County, and more information can be found [Here].

A collection of food carts is called a food pod. Food pods are typically found in parking lots of existing development or on vacant land. A food pod, especially if there is sufficient land like in the suburbs, will be offered communal seating to have your meal. Downtown food pods generally have insufficient room to provide communal picnic table seats so people either eat at the many public squares or back in their office. Some food pods might also be decorated nicely to enhance the experience to differentiate from other food pods. The food pod scene is so entrenched into Portland's culture that it is featured in skits in Portlandia. There is also an app and website allowing you to look for food pods in case you are in the area and want a quick bite to eat [Link].

A food pod may serve many different types of cuisines from different countries such as Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Creole, British, and even Ethiopian. They may also serve your traditional pizzas, hot dogs, and Philly steaks. A few even serve just one type of food such as soups and salads. A food pod attracts different types of businesses so each pod will serve a unique combination of foods. The quality of food is usually as outstanding as any offered in a traditional restaurant, but a select few are so good that they become celebrities in their own right. For example whenever I go to Portland, I try to go to Nong's Khao Man Gai where their specialty is a chicken and rice dish with side order of clear soup. This particular food cart is so popular that they have been featured by numerous print and media sources [Link], and the founder has spoken at a TED talk.

From an urban planning perspective food carts can have a impact on the city from an economic development standpoint. Food carts are essentially small businesses on wheels. Food carts are generally independent businesses that are not operated by a franchise (since the business model would be so different). Because these are not bricks and mortar locations, the start up cost is much cheaper because there is no need to leasing or buy a commercial unit, there is no need for expensive renovation costs, and there is no need to hire dozens of people. It allows entrepreneurs to start a food establishment with little money.  Oftentimes, some of these food carts are so successful they create a name of their own, and they have the ability to use their brand to open an actual bricks and mortar location, such as Nong's Khao Man Gai did, located at the Industrial East Side. 

The question however, is does a food pod affect the viability of bricks and mortar restaurants within close proximity. It really depends on the type of restaurant. Because food carts are intended to be fast, cheap, and to be consumed in another location, you actually attract a narrow field of customers. In addition, food carts do not serve alcohol, and do not have entertainment such as TVs or music. Apart from suburban locations, most do not have seating available. So in summary they do not compete with your "high class" restaurants, family restaurants, sports bars, lounges and night clubs, taverns, and pubs. They do however compete with fast food joints and ethnic restaurants (since so many of these food carts serve ethnic food). 

Will a proliferation of food pods be successful in every city? No, because it depends on how well established the restaurant industry is currently (i.e. how many restaurants are in existence now), and how receptive they are by the restaurant industry. In many cases, the saturation point has been reached in many places so putting in a food pod will only cause strain to the existing industry. However, if there is confidence a small food pod will not compete with other restaurants nearby, then both can live in harmony.

As an example, Toronto (finally!!) has a food pod (Market 707 [Link]) located in Alexandra Park, at Dundas and Bathurst. This intersection is the location of Toronto Western Hospital, a local library and community space, and is located on the fringe of some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city. There are a few restaurants nearby but is concentrated at Kensington Market and Chinatown. To the west is a larger collection of independent restaurants. This food pod exists because it has about a dozen food establishments located in old shipping containers. Unlike their Portland counterparts there are half a dozen picnic tables located on the sidewalk for customers to eat their food. This food pod has become a hotbed for foodies in the know and "hipsters" in the area who want quick and fast food prepared fresh. Tables here make it a place for families and group of friends to hang out. It has become a social space and an extension of the community centre of where it sits on. Highly successful, this space offers opportunities for small business to start up, and create a local tourist destination. 

Does it compete with other restaurants? It sure does, but because it is located along two busy transit routes, a major employer across the street, and a community centre in which thousands use it every day, the saturation point is high enough so every food establishment is happy. But really, does a Tim Horton's offer this type of snack? I think not. 

As much as Portland's food cart scene is something all cities should learn from, it isn't for everyone. But I am sure almost every city in North America has some version of it and are successful in every way.

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The Portland Files: City Center

Located on the west side of the Willamette River, Portland's city center I find is as iconic as any larger North American City. Like New York City or Chicago or Toronto, you have to appreciate the skyline from afar. If you don't have a drone, you can enjoy its scenery on the Burnside Bridge or even atop the West Hills at the Japanese Garden.

Whenever I visit Portland, one of the first places I head to is its City Center. As the heart and soul of the city, it is a place where I feel most at home. Coming from Toronto which these days are filled with monotonous glass curtain wall skyscrapers, I feel Portland's City Center as less claustrophobic and dirty, and yet more lively and full of character. Whether you sit and relax in any one of the public squares such as Director's Park, Pioneer Courthouse Square, or the Keller Fountain, you feel like you can lose yourself amongst the trees or people, depending on which public square you go to. 

And speaking of public square, a city of this size cherishes its public spaces. Also called "Portland's Living Room", the Pioneer Courthouse Square is one of the most celebrated public spaces in the city. It is the site of many events such as the farmers market and the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. 

Over the next few series I will be discussing the great things about the City Center from an urban planning perspective. Stay tuned...

The Portland Files: A New Series

It has been a while since I have posted anything since I had to digest the amazing trip I had in August 2016. As an urban planner I was treated to a city that has seemingly done things right in many aspects, from its top class public transit system, to its outstanding support for small businesses. The food scene makes you want to stay in Portland forever.

But a closer look shows the city hasn't been too honest. Gentrification in many inner city neighbourhoods have shoved households in poverty to the already-stricken east end. Housing cost is now increasing faster than many red hot markets in the US. Suburban development typical of cities without growth management policies, continue to show up in areas of the west end. 

To document all of this, I will be starting a brand new series titled "The Portland Files", a collection of thoughts about the state of urban planning in the Rose City. 

But a bit of a disclaimer. I love Portland but I do not live there. I am an observer but not an expert. I think of Portland as an utopia, but I am also a realist. So join me in this journey as I delve into the good, the bad, and the ugly of what it has to offer.