Thinking Bigger Than Yourself

davidgalestudios:

Fast Company interview with  Portland mayor Sam Adams, on working to make every section of Portland a complete 20-minute neighborhood to strengthen the local economy.

Excerpt from the article:

We’re also working to make every section of Portland a complete 20-minute neighborhood to strengthen our local economy. Two-thirds of all trips in Portland and in most American cities are not about getting to and from work. So if I can offer quality, affordable goods and services, eliminate food deserts, have neighborhoods with schools and parks and amenities—if I can create these 20-minute complete neighborhoods all over Portland—it strengthens our local economy. We drive 20% less than cities of comparable size, and because we don’t manufacture cars, produce oil, or have car insurance companies, every dollar that we don’t spend elsewhere, will stay in Portland’s economy. There’s about $850 million that stays in Portlanders’s pockets because we drive less. With a 20-minute neighborhood, also reduce congestion and meet our climate action plan goals.

I love the mindset in Portland right now. It reminds me of what’s gone on/is going on in Curitiba, Brazil, right now … city planning and sustainable forethought done right. The challenges are different in every city, every locale, and therefore the approaches differ, but it’s the overarching mindset of full-system planning, integrated, forward-thinking development, and community development that I love, and want to see more of nowadays.