PDC wants city to move up in class

Agency envisions Portland in same league as London or Paris

By Kristina Brenneman

The Portland Tribune, Apr 19, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Portland has always thought of itself as a renegade Ñ unique and quirky.

It kicked Texas Pacific Group out of town, hired architect Michael Graves to design a sassy-looking aqua- and maroon-colored building named Portland and struck up plans for an aerial tram soaring from Marquam Hill to the South Waterfront.

But the city’s redevelopment agency has far grander ambitions: Commissioners think Portland can earn the lofty moniker “world-class city.”

World-class city is a widely used term to signify that a city is economically and culturally vibrant and is a popular destination for global travelers.

“This is an opportunity for us to work with elected officials to become world-class,” said Portland Development Commission Chairman Matt Hennessee. “If we want to do something like this we can’t shy away from what we want to be.”

It’s likely to take decades for Portland to approach the architectural, cultural and educational supremacy of cities such as Paris, London and Rome.

But the PDC, in its annual retreat this week, began building the early framework of a world-class strategy. The agency has formed a regional economic development strategy and is investing millions in tax-increment dollars in Portland State University Ñ both key elements to the world-class designation.

Consultant Anthony Harris, who is working on the strategy for the PDC, said other so-called world-class cities also share these characteristics: a focused recruitment strategy, a spirit of collaboration, an expanded perspective of place, a commitment to social inclusion and a strong grounding in sustainability. Portland already has a huge head start as a leader in sustainability.

The agency first promoted its goal of becoming a world-class metropolis in a December report to Mayor-elect Tom Potter.

“To be a world-class city in the 21st century, Portland must overcome current obstacles to the un- and under-employment of its citizens; closing the racial gap in homeownership; the lack of industrial land; a less than competitive economic and business climate; lack of adequate support for small business; and maintaining and enhancing the city’s economic base,” the report said.

Hennessee said the PDC is not “trying to get too far out in front of our mayor and City Council. This requires their leadership, but it has its underpinnings in economic development and job creation.”

Potter’s economic development policy manager, Rochelle Lessner, said the mayor had a preliminary briefing on the world-class strategy, but is waiting for a further report from the PDC. “They’re still discussing it internally,” she said.

Several city leaders scoffed at the idea of Portland as “world-class,” and jokingly put the city on par with Fresno, Calif., and Boise, Idaho.

All agreed, however, that the city has some of the necessary elements Ñ timeless architecture and economic and intellectual power, as well as a world-class bookstore in Powell’s.

“I thought it was world-class already,” said Barry Schlesinger, owner of Star Park parking garages. “PSU is making big strides. OHSU is, too. Portland is opening up.”

Commissioner Randy Leonard said the city has to treat all of its neighborhoods as equals first.

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