American Dream

One of the supposed benefits of smart-growth planning in Portland is that it has generated a lively downtown. You can tell how lively it is from these recent statistics:

• One shooting per month in the past several months
• Thirteen aggravated assaults in the first six months of 2005
• 130 arrests on the transit mall, mostly on drug-related charges.

The shootings are particularly bad for business, says the owner of a local nightclub. "Anything that happens out there that casts a negative light on downtown, we all cringe," she added. Many of the shootings take place after the nightclubs close and most of them seem to be gang related.

Although the police say they are taking steps to improve the situation, the owners of other businesses are not optimistic. "There’s no room in the jails," said the owner of a luggage store. "People who break my windows are back on the street before I can get them replaced."

New Urbanists are thrilled that people are moving back into downtowns. Without heavy subsidies, however, few would have moved back to downtown Portland, and these numbers give some indication why.