Undergrounding is good for the psyche

What do the three photos on the right have in common besides being from my recent trip to Berlin, Denmark, the Netherlands?

The answer: No overhead utilities.

You may not have noticed because you are blind to wires, poles and transformers on our own littered streets and highways. You automatically screen them out of your vision using some internalized mental Photoshop.

Since we no longer "see" such clutter, what’s the big deal?

I contend that whether we know it or not, when our view is free of such intrusions, we recognize that freedom subconsciously. We are more in tune with our environment, as we are when we view the European photos.

Admittedly it’s an unfair comparison, but take stock of your psyche looking at the European photos and then tune into your feelings when you look at the streetscape below of Capitol Highway in Hillsdale.

You don’t have to go to Europe to have the wire-free experience. When the City of Portland wants to bury utility wires, it does. Just visit the Pearl District or downtown.

We need a program here for undergrounding utilities in the places outside of downtown where wires, transformers and poles are most obvious.

I nominate Hillsdale, a Metro-designated Town Center, a pedestrian district and a Portland-anointed Main Street District, to go to the top of the list. The cost would be somewhere north of $2 million. The money should come from city-imposed utility franchise fees.

The utilities that litter our urban landscapes should pay to clean up the mess.

An Attainable Future for Hillsdale

Back in May, I wrote an addendum for our community's application to become a Main Street District. Hillsdale won the designation, and we are now scrambling to accomplish all those tasks associated with setting up what is basically a new, not-for-profit business. The application now resides in some file (or computer) at the Portland Development Commission, the overseer of Portland's three Main Street programs. But I believe my visionary conclusion deserves a wider readership so I'm putting it on display (with some minor changes).

It is a vision and an assessment of our community's ability to achieve it. It is also a draft. I hope others will comment on it and add to it.

Hillsdale — tomorrow and today

The year is 2015. The new tree-shaded, meandering sidewalks wind into the Town Center and are in constant use. The covered walkways in front of the stores are alive with ambling shoppers.

On Capitol Highway, motorists slow to admire the bustling Hillsdale Town Center and to ease into parking.

This is a place to spend time. Bicyclists have their own raised bikeway. A new crosswalk/speed table has been installed. The north and south sides of the Town Center, once divided by busy Capitol Highway, have grown closer — even intimate. The easy, slow and safe flow of traffic connects them as does the common “Mid-20^th Century” theme and the pleasures the entire area offers.

New, consistent signage, with its crisp “Fifties” logo and clean “Gill” lettering, guides motorist and pedestrians alike. Those in cars know they can readily find parking. Hillsdale, no longer daunting and disorganized, is warm and inviting to all.

Most come to Hillsdale to linger and savor the place, to wander among the attractive, shops. Soon, they will come to the new pocket plaza and climb to the top of the landmark Hillsdale Tower. From its “Fifties” neo-futuristic eight-story pinnacle, visitors take in the sweeping views of the surrounding hills, the Willamette Valley, the Coast Range and Mount Hood.

Evenings in Hillsdale are vibrant. Vintage neon signs draw visitors not just from Portland but from afar. Hillsdale has become known for its boutique micro-cinemas. Regionally, Hillsdale has become a destination for film and food. After the films, patrons linger in Hillsdale’s coffee shops and restaurants.

The Farmers Market has become a Sunday celebration with concerts in nearby Wilson Stadium. An “artists’ row” has been added at nearby Rieke School, with proceeds supporting Hillsdale’s Education Fund and its excellent schools. The Fund is a part of the Hillsdale Community Foundation.

For all the fun Hillsdale provides visitors, it is still a place of business — the commercial and service core for the immediate community. The phrase “Hillsdale Has It” is more true than ever.

The Main Street storefront office recently expanded and is home to meetings that five years ago were scattered about the neighborhood. The center, staffed by volunteers, has a tool “lending library” and a “Green House,” the home for Hillsdale’s model sustainability program. Thanks to public/private solar installations and the local conservation program, Hillsdale is on track to becoming energy independent for its electricity. Plans are underway to tap geothermal energy as well. A new tower on the drafting boards will have a small but prominent wind-driven generator.

The Main Street Center also serves as a branch service hub for Neighborhood House. Hillsdale offers housing for the once homeless (The Watershed), for distressed families seeking new beginnings (Turning Point), and for those in need of public housing (Hillsdale Terrace). Because it helps so many, Hillsdale is known as “a home with a heart.”

At last, after more than 20 years of visions, plans and meetings, Hillsdale’s promise is becoming an exciting, trailblazing reality — and a model for others.

Back to the present

That’s the future. What makes such a future possible in Hillsdale today?

Because of its recent history, its “home-grown” civic institutions, its location and the opportunity provided by the Main Street program, Hillsdale is now poised to become a model for community sustainability, prosperity and creativity.

Geography has been Hillsdale’s destiny. Our commercial center nestles in a shallow bowl on the west slope of the Tualatin mountains. It is a natural transportation corridor and so three public schools, a library, homes and businesses have clustered here. Our environment has encouraged us to build a system of trails and to tread lightly and carefully on this fragile landscape. We know from experience that we are threatened by landslides, which don’t even require earthquakes to cause disaster. We have organized networks of communication to address that need and others. We are a community.

Out of this sense of community, we believe we can be a model for cooperation and sustainability. Others, including Metro, which chose Hillsdale as one of just nine regional 2040 Town Centers, and the City of Portland, which has helped us with plans, have repeatedly recognized our potential as well as our passion for this place.

Hillsdale — self-defining, self-made

Until 13 years ago, Hillsdale was little more than a name with a history. Capitol Highway divided us into two nondescript neighborhoods. Then we held an unprecedented election that determined that Capitol Highway would be at the very center of a new neighborhood and community — Hillsdale.

Once we put ourselves on the map, we created institutions dedicated to improving our newly defined community: The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, the Hillsdale Alliance (a coalition of all Hillsdale groups), the Hillsdale Connection (a newspaper, now called the Southwest Community Connection), the Hillsdale Community Foundation (a 501 (c) 3 foundation that will serve as our Main Street “home”) and most recently the Hillsdale Bicycle Coalition.

The Hillsdale Business & Professional Association preceded the above, laid their groundwork and has been strengthened by them. We also have strong ties to our PTAs, the Wilson Area Arts Council, Neighborhood House, Hillsdale NET (emergency team), SW Trails and the Hillsdale Branch library. Note that all of these groups, and others, have written letters of support for our application.

One of the first things we did after voting to become a neighborhood was put up “Hillsdale” signcaps and gateway signs proclaiming our existence to the 30,000 commuters traveling through our commercial center.

In the course of our evolution, we have held three community-wide elections, which also helped define our identity. One was to found the new neighborhood, one to approve undergrounding utilities (which the City Council overruled) and one to get rid of a boundary overlap that had caused tension with an adjacent neighborhood.

Our efforts have made us well known to government entities, including Portland Public Schools, several City bureaus (particularly Planning and Sustainability and Transportation), Metro, Tri-Met and the Multnomah County’s library system.

Hillsdale's unrecognized diversity

Hillsdale is far from being a mono-culture; it defies stereotypes of West Hills neighborhoods. It has long been the home of Hillsdale Terrace, whose 60 units make it one of the largest public housing projects in the state.

Six years ago, our community welcomed the construction of the Watershed subsidized housing project in our target area. The building’s owner, Community Partners for Affordable Housing, felt so at home and welcomed that it established its offices here.

The Turning Point transitional housing project was welcomed here in the early ‘90s. Community leadership opposed its first ill-advised siting in a flood plain and forced the Housing Authority of Portland to place the facility nearer the commercial area and the heart of our community. Neighbors then lobbied the city to turn the flood plain into a nature park.

Neighborhood House, located in neighboring Multnomah Village, contracts to operate both Hillsdale Terrace and Turning Point. Two former chairs of the Neighborhood House board are members of the Hillsdale Main Street task force and the Hillsdale Community Foundation board.

Building on a chain of success

Our efforts at formulating and implementing key elements of our Hillsdale Town Center Plan have resulted in a series of successes. They include the popular Hillsdale Farmers Market (now starting its ninth year), an expanded HBPA Hillsdale Pancake Breakfast (now a 30-year tradition), The Hillsdale Community Foundation Used Book Sale (now in its fourth year).

We have formed a unique umbrella coalition of Hillsdale organizations, the Hillsdale Alliance. Precursors to the Alliance were the Hillsdale Vision Group and the Hillsdale Plan Steering Committee — both of which mastered the art of consensus decision-making.

Our school-parent community is highly organized. Rieke’s PTA, in cooperation with other Hillsdale groups, warded off school closure and is well on the way to “growing” its enrollment by 50 percent through targeted marketing and outreach to young families.

On the practical side, our rich experience has taught us the need for a realistic work plan and for a clear, rational path to implement it.

We have much left to do, as our application attests, but we are ready and capable of doing it with your help.

We believe that a Hillsdale Main Street organization and approach will be the vital next step in our effort to build a vibrant, model community, a thriving Metro Town Center and a strong, sustainable, local economy.

We are eager to build our future.

The greater meaning of "Sustainability"

“Sustainability,” like all words, has a life of its own. I happen to have a 1980 edition of the Oxford American Dictionary, and in it “sustainability” has no life at all.

The word isn’t listed. It literally hadn’t yet been born. More on that in a second . . . .

But “sustain” and “sustainable” were alive and well.

Thirty years ago, the dictionary’s editors attributed six meanings to “sustain,” starting with (1) “to support.” Back then you could and did, for instance, “sustain your friendship.”

“Sustain” could also mean (2) “to keep alive” and (3) “to keep going continuously,” as in sustaining “a sound or an effort.”

Finally, the last three listed are worth noting because they illustrative the pliability of words: (4) “to undergo” as in “sustain defeat;” (5) “to endure without giving way” as in “to sustain an attack;” and a legal term (6) “to confirm or uphold the validity of,” as in “sustain an objection.”

So what about the birth and meaning of “sustainability”? Several web sites are helpful on the subject. Take a look at wikipedia’s, for instance.

The entry makes some reference to the above meanings of “sustain” but then offers this:

“Since the 1980s sustainability has been used more in the sense of human sustainability on planet Earth and this has resulted in the most widely quoted definition of sustainability and sustainable development, that of the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20, 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

That seems like a broad enough definition, but I’m finding that in my own community work, the new word can blind us to earlier meanings that are equally vital.

For instance, I’m involved in the Hillsdale Main Street effort, which is supposed to emphasize “sustainability” as it goes about revitalizing our local economy. My sense is that we are supposed to think of solar panels, recycling and energy-efficient light bulbs. That’s well and good, but those “old” meanings still resonate with me.

To me, sustainability means being prepared for disasters (earthquakes, terrorists attacks, floods), educating the young to prepare them for the future, having active and open forums for communication, providing food, shelter and health care, and assuring a just and fair relationship between its members.

As I embark on this “Main Street” effort in Hillsdale, I’m adhering to old, as well as new, definitions of “sustain” and how they apply to our community’s “sustainability.”

P.S. As we consider the global "community" and Earth itself, isn't war, particularly nuclear war, a sustainability issue? The same effort we use to end our reliance on fossil fuels should be used to ban weapons and shut down the arms trade.

Getting to "How" in Hillsdale

This Main Street thing is getting serious. I referred to it briefly in my last post. The "Main Street" I'm talking about is an economic redevelopment program that's found in about 1800 communities around the country.

I'm part of a group here in Hillsdale (a community in Portland, Oregon) that is trying to earn Main Street status from the Portland Development Commission. Nine Portland communities are competing to be among up to four chosen.

It's a lot of work, including raising $30,000 in the next five weeks and filling out a 35-page application.

Part of the work this weekend has been producing a flier that makes a pitch for the program.

Here is what I came up with:

Why Hillsdale should be
a Main Street Community

Why do the owners of Baker & Spice, Paloma Clothing, Salvador Molly’s, Salon Dirk and the Sunset Office Building all back Hillsdale’s bid to become a Main Street District? Why has the effort won the enthusiastic endorsements of the Hillsdale Business and Professional Association, the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, the Rieke PTA, and the Hillsdale Community Foundation?

Because the Main Street Program, active in 1800 communities throughout the country, is a sound, smart investment in our business district and our community.
Because, as we all know, Hillsdale has a huge potential to build on its assets:

• The Farmers Market
• Excellent transit service
• New, state-of-the-art library
• Locally owned businesses
• Excellent schools.

Because Main Street will encourage new investment, new businesses and increased patronage in Hillsdale.

Because Main Street will make us a stronger community through organizing cultural events, school and business promotions and celebrations.

Because Main Street will address five much needed areas of attention:

• Economic revitalization and stability in tough economic times
• Local organization and implementation of community development and investment
• Promotion and community pride
• Design enhancement and refurbishing of existing commercial buildings
• Investment in sustainability and the environment

Because Main Street is community controlled through a local Main Street Board of Directors The board oversees the work of a paid district manager.

Because the Main Street manager works with the community volunteers and business and property owners to implement community-based plans in order to move Hillsdale forward.

What we need now: Pledges totaling $30,000 by April 15 (with annual $50,000 renewals for two years.) If chosen in June, Hillsdale would need to raise an additional $20,000 by March 2011. If our community is chosen, the city will provide $72,500 annually. We also need letters of support from you and your organization.

For more information or to pledge, contact Richard Garfinkle dr.rknrol@gmail.com,
Ted Coonfield tcoonfield@comcast.net or Rick Seifert editor@hillsdalenews.org

Also visit www.pdc.us/mainstreet

I ran this draft by our Main Street task force for comment. One of the most challenging responses was from someone who was fixated on "How?" She wanted to know how we are going to make this happen?

The respondent wasn't satisfied with "Why" and all my "becauses."

The point is that Main Street is the way to "How." If we knew "How," we wouldn't need Main Street. We'd just do it.

Frankly, I'm not even sure we know "What."

And for now, that's a good thing.

The fun will be working together to discover "What" — and "How" to bring it about.

By the way, I'm toying with that stark dichotomy between the values of "Wall Street" and "Main Street." I confess that a fair amount of my retirement nest egg is in "Wall Street." But if I agree with what David Korten writes in "Agenda for a New Economy," I should short "Wall Street," and buy long on "Main Street."

If Hillsdale's Main Street program is to get the $30,000 it needs by May 7 (actually, we have pledges for $12,000 but need pledges for the full amount sooner May 7), a lot of us need to think along these lines. It's called putting our money, where our mouths — and values — are.

That e-mail to me is an invitation. Use it if you are part of this community and would like to make a pledge, or simply make a constructive comment.

Wealth versus Livelihood

I always clip and fuss over those stories about the outrageous bonuses Wall Street gives its traders and executives. Likewise top executive salaries at insurance companies, banks and oil companies.

Some of these so-called “leaders” pay themselves 1000 times what they pay their average worker.

Some leadership.

My reaction to these stories is visceral. I usually mutter “thieves” or “scoundrels” under my breath.

I’m not big on shaming folks, but the thought has passed my mind. Then again, there’s no reason to believe that shaming would work.

Life is shamelessly all about them. They’ve convinced themselves that they are worth every cent because ... that’s what the system is paying them.

The System.

Is there a system? What are its values? How can it produce such inequity? Am I part of the system? Are you? Why do we tolerate it?

So, what is this system? What are the alternatives?

I’ve just finished reading “Agenda for a New Economy” which provides some answers. The book by economist David Korten takes on our “money” system, rooted in “Wall Street Capitalism,” and contrasts it with a “living” economy, focused on “Main Street Markets.”

Korten writes that the “dominant driver” of the former is “making money” for the few. The goal of the latter is “creating livelihoods” for all.

It comes down to values. The values that rule our economy today are inhumane to their core, he argues. And as we have seen, deeply flawed and destructive. They are also responsible for mayhem and war abroad.

Here’s a chart in which Korten places aspects of the two systems side-by-side.




I happen to be involved in an effort to win Hillsdale, my community, the status of being a “Main Street District.” Some aspects of the “Main Street Program” (which is an economic revitalization effort sponsored by Portland’s city government) resonate with Korten's values.

Our work here will be worth it if it brings about the change to the “living economy” described by Korten. His book couldn’t be more timely for me. It has given a deeper meaning and impetus to my work for change here in Hillsdale.