Find out on Wednesday at PSU:
The Nohad Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning with
Planning Includes Equity (PIE) proudly presents:The Spring 2007 Brown Bag Series
COLUMBIA RIVER CROSSING PANEL DISCUSSION
Featuring
Joe Cortwright, Impresa Consulting
Jay Lyman, Columbia River Crossing Staff,
Scott Chapman, Sierra Club
Silvia Evans, EJAGWednesday, April 18th
12pm-1:30PM
Room 270 of the Urban Studies BuildingJoin the School of Urban Studies and PIE for the kick-off of a new season of the Brown Bag Series with this timely panel discussion.
Pie will be served!
AND: Save the date for the next installment of the Brown Bag Series the following week: April 25th:
The PREMIER of the Film “Jane Jacobs: Parting Words”.
Director Kevin Balmer and the films writer, Chet Orloff will be at the showing to discuss the film and answer questions.
Wednesday April 25
12pm – 1:30 pm
Room 270 of the Urban Studies BuildingParting Words captures urban thinker, writer, and activist Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) in her final public appearance in Portland , Oregon . On tour to promote her book, DARK AGE AHEAD (2004), Jacobs discusses the imperative for culturally diverse and innovative cities, among numerous other issues. Exploring passages from her seminal work, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES (1961) and looking at Jacobs through the eyes of leading Oregon planners, the film highlights Jacobs’ clear-eyed perspectives on the problems and opportunities facing American cities.
Parting Words demonstrates Jane Jacobs’ long and abiding influence on urban design and planning.Produced and Directed by Kevin Balmer, PSU Master of Urban and Regional Planning Graduate (2006); Diggable Films.
Written and Narrated by Chet Orloff , Director, Pamplin Institute & Collection; PSU Adj. Prof. Urban Studies and Planning; President, Oregon History Works/Museum of the City; Director Emeritus, Oregon Historical Society
5 responses to “Does the CRC Go Down Better with Lunch?”
The question is:
Did Jane Jacobs approve of Portland style cities?
Thanks
JK
I heard her speak at PSU on her last trip to Portland a couple of years ago.
She effused about the Pearl District.
jane jacobs loved portland and what she loved most was not anything specific like the pearl district, or whatever, she loved that the people of portland were engaging democratically to renew the city they cared for.
here’s an excerpt from an interview in reason magazine, it’s a great interview, i recommend reading the whole thing. i love how she refuses to be pegged down by any specific ideology.
i highlighted one quote at the end, especially for you, jk.
Reason: Do you think that the people who run American cities have learned what to do and what not to do?
Jacobs: I think some of them have learned a lot. There are quite a few cities that are more vigorous and more attractive than they were 10 or 20 years ago. A lot of good things are being done, but it’s not universal.
Reason: Can you give me an example?
Jacobs: In Portland, a lot of good things are being done. Same with Seattle. San Francisco has done many attractive things.
Reason: What is it that you like about Portland?
Jacobs: People in Portland love Portland. That’s the most important thing. They really like to see it improved. The waterfront is getting improved, and not with a lot of gimmicks, but with good, intelligent reuses of the old buildings. They’re good at rehabilitation. As far as their parks are concerned, they’ve got some wonderful parks with water flows in them. It’s fascinating. People enjoy it and paddle in it. They’re unusual parks. The amount of space they take and what they deliver is just terrific.
They’re pretty good on their transit too. It’s not any one splashy thing. It’s the ensemble that I think is so pleasant.
Reason: You are against regional planning and metropolitanism, yet isn’t an important part of what’s going on in Portland the pretty strong powers given to a regional planning authority?
Jacobs: I don’t know. You’re probably better informed than I am on that. I’m talking about the city of Portland itself.
Reason: The criticisms of Portland are these: By fixing boundaries and limiting growth by government fiat, they are guaranteeing that prices of housing will go up higher within the boundaries of Portland and that traffic will get worse. And this has happened.
Jacobs: Well, my goodness. Portland is not a dense city and never was. Whoever made that prediction, that densifying the city itself would have all those bad consequences, they don’t know anything about it.
…
Reason: Do you think suburbs will evolve into cities?
Jacobs: They’ll evolve into something, but I don’t know what you’ll call them and I don’t know exactly how they’ll resolve. But they’ll thicken up, get denser.
Reason: That solves a lot of problems, I guess.
Jacobs: Sure it does. And that’s why those people are crazy when they said what would happen to Portland. It was an argument. They were trying to stop it and they said any kind of baloney.
will there be any other way or time to see this jane jacobs film? like can it be checked out of the psu library?
Ther is no doubt in my mind that Jane Jacobs played an important and timely role in the preservation of liveability in American cities. She was mostly influential in New York, but gets a lot of favorable press in towns like Portland–which has a history of emigrants from New England cities.
IMHO, I don’t think she would be favorably impressed with the CRC’s front=running proposal in the I-5 crossing.