Did you know you can adopt that concrete planter on your street?

As you know, we love those concrete traffic diverters the City of Portland has installed with increased frequency in the past few years. The only problem with them is they can look pretty drab out-of-the-box. But give them a coat of paint and a bit of gardening love, and they can add much more to your street than calmer traffic.

I recently came across an article in the Pearl District Neighborhood Association newsletter about how a few residents of the Gregory Condominiums got together to beautify one of the new concrete planters on NW Flanders.

“The Gregory Team hopes other organizations will adopt more planters as they really help beautify our streets. ‘As the City of Roses, it just seems appropriate that we’re showing how plants can improve the urban environment and bring people together.'”

According to the PDNA, there’s a small team of stewards who take turns watering and tending the plants on a daily basis. Such a great idea! If you need even more inspiration, check out how a group of neighbors in the Piedmont neighborhood came together to paint the concrete barricades on North Mississippi Ave.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation had added these planters to a list of street spaces that are open for community stewardship collabs (along with roundabouts and other types of medians).

If you want to adopt the concrete planter in your neighborhood, here’s what to do: Just follow the steps at this page on the PBOT website and make sure to fill out the “inquiry form” application.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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