Downtown Portland’s renaissance will get another jolt of energy thanks to a newly funded project that will improve walking conditions.
Travel Oregon, the state’s tourism commission, announced $6.2 million in grants today. Awards were granted to 65 projects statewide, including two from the Portland region. One of them is a $150,000 grant to the nonprofit Oregon Walks for a project that will, “develop and deploy a pedestrian wayfinding pilot project in downtown Portland.”
Oregon Walks is a nonprofit that focuses on making walking safer, more convenient, and more fun. They worked with the Portland Bureau of Transportation as a partner on the grant application. Better wayfinding signage in downtown Portland was recommended as a top priority in the City of Portland’s Pedestrian Master Plan.
Oregon Walks Executive Director Zachary Lauritzen said PBOT played a major role in making this happen. “They’ve been an amazing partner. [PBOT Pedestrian Realm Coordinator] Gena Gastaldi and her team put together a really compelling pitch/design and deserve a ton of credit for moving this forward.”
According to a statement form Travel Oregon, the “Walk Portland” project will include installation of high-quality maps and signage, public art and lighting, visitor engagement, data collection and photo/video documentation. Described as a “pedestrian wayfinding system in downtown Portland,” there will also be an accompanying website.
“Through signage, artwork, and a designated downtown walking route, Walk Portland will help people feel more confident exploring downtown as a pedestrian—whether you’re new to Portland or have lived here your whole life,” says Lauritzen. “We’re stoked to lend a hand in the rejuvenation of downtown,” he added. “We really believe in activation—getting more people out and about—as a way to make places feel safe and welcoming.”
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So, Oregon Walks landing a $150,000 grant for a downtown wayfinding project? I’m all for encouraging walking and making cities more walkable—that’s good for everyone. But when a group with a long history of being openly anti-police and anti-enforcement of traffic laws starts getting a chunk of taxpayer money, it raises a few eyebrows. It’s one thing to advocate for more pedestrian-friendly streets, but it’s another when you’ve built a reputation around undermining traffic law enforcement, which is a bit of a concern when we’re talking about public safety and the balance of responsibility on the roads.
At the end of the day, taxpayers deserve some transparency—especially when public funds are going to groups that push for policies that could undermine law and order on our streets. If they want to improve walkability, sure, let’s talk. But accountability and a more balanced approach would be nice, too. It’s not just about the cause; it’s about how we get there without creating bigger problems down the road.
This is great news for walking / rolling tourists & visitors!! Now, for this project’s future planners, please please please don’t do these “silly” oversights all too common in downtown wayfinding signs (city economic / tourism directors, you know which cities I am talking about): (1) leave the “backside” [aka car traffic downstream] of the signs blank without either bi-directional wayfinding or block specific information, as ‘contraflow’ pedestrians / cyclists have nothing to see otherwise; (2) for distance measurements when using tenths of miles don’t avoid using the “0” as in “0.3” vs “.3”, as it is less easy to read from afar or if the decimal point falls off; and poorly planned sign text placement, forget to account for bolt heads blocking text or odd breaks in word order. Thx as future generations will thank you.
I wonder how this is needed when there are neighborhood bike/walk maps for downtown in print and online, most teens/adults have a smartphone (90% by some estimates), and there’s 20-year-old existing pedestrian wayfinding signing in downtown?