A PORTLAND VISION ... First of all, I would like to see this for the year 2000: that anyone who wanted to work would have a job. I would say that is an absolutely critical part of any vision. . . . If you really get at the problems of crime, of fire prevention, of neighborhood deterioration—a lot of it has an economic base. The second thing I would like to see is that we would be a city which had significantly decreased reliance upon the automobile. People would be relying on buses, light rail, bicycles and walking. The results would be a very good air quality, reduced congestion, and a pedestrian-oriented type of city. This would probably involve several major light rail lines connecting parts of Portland and physically separated bicycle paths and pedestrian ways. There would be a bridge across the Willamette dedicated to bicycles and people. In the area of energy I would see us being one of the most efficient cities in the United States. We would have retrofitted our houses and businesses and planned our city in such a way that people would live near mass transportation. Businesses would be able to provide more jobs and thrive because they wouldn't have a tremendous increase in energy costs. Consumers would have more money to spend on other things because they wouldn't have to tie up so much of their income paying for energy. There would be a significant decentralization in the way decisions were made and money was allocated in government. Neighborhood associations and community-based groups would have a lot more control, and this would mean there would be a higher percentage of people who felt they had a vested interest in their community. They would feel they had control over their own lives, over developments in their neighborhoods, and over many of their resources. Along with this, I would see a much higher level of self-sufficiency in such areas as energy and emergency preparedness. I would also see that because the city government would have progressed so far with decentralization and with tapping into the talents and energies of people in the community, it would be financially well off and well run. Because of full employment and people with a vested interest in their community, there would also be a crime rate that was relatively low. There would be a much greater emphasis in the budget on prevention of crime in the first place than on taking care of it after it happened. This prevention would be in two ways. One would be neighbor helping neighbor—a sense of community on each block making it more difficult to commit crimes, fust as important would be an understanding of the causes of crime. The vast majority are committed by people who are relatively young and we would have more emphasis on youth employment programs. We would also have an improved educational system with greater choices for kids to stay in the system and develop their potential. —Mike Lindberg, Portland City Commissioner 14 t
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