There’s a lot of new construction in Portland.  But for some reason, it doesn’t feel all that new.  Which got me thinking, why is that?  And what does that mean I subconsciously expect from “new construction”?

Ultimately, I decided that a big part of it was nothing more than the pedestrian’s perspective on a crowded city grid.  As long as you have a consistent wall on your right or left, you’re already about 50% of the way to continuity.  From a distance, the city skyline is a mismatch of styles and forms, but as long as the base of each building touches the sidewalk, the city dweller is at home.

The other major reason I decided nothing felt new is that, generally speaking, I expect a vast majority of new construction to be of poorish quality.  But here, simply because most of the newer buildings are of similar quality to their more historic brethren, it all sort of works in harmony.  And with that foundation of quality materials and craftsmanship, style is again allowed to roam freely – within the boundaries of form of course – giving each building its distinctive, but cohesive look.

A few more of Portland’s newer residential buildings after the jump.

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I do enjoy expansive city parks.  Ones where you can easily get lost amidst miles of rock and tree.  But sometimes it’s even more enjoyable to turn a corner or peak around a building and come upon a small park, hidden from the raging world around it.

Paris has a good number of these sorts of parks.

And while Portland does have an array of  “lose yourself in nature” type parks, it was the variation of the smaller, neighborhood parks that has really attracted my attention.

Take the admittedly experimental Tanner Springs Park in the pic above.  It was designed to recall the wetlands that formerly existed in this newly developed area of Portland.  As you can see in the pic below, residents can sit on the steps surrounding the park and on the small patch of green on the park’s northern boundary.   The park’s greatest current threat are the neighborhood dogs, who could easily over pollute the park’s waters, allowing algae to take over.

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Apparently Portland never got the memo that all beautiful, early 20th century train stations needed to be torn down by the mid-1970s.

One more pic from a different vantage point after the jump.

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I’m in Portland, Oregon this week, wandering the city streets with a 3-month old.  And since Portland has one of the tightest and most celebrated grids in the nation, I thought why not do a little photo journal?

For those unfamiliar with Portland’s Max rail line, here ’tis…

Beautiful isn’t it?  But not just beautiful, it’s also free within the city center – yes, FREE – or $2.25 for an all-zones 2 hour pass. With frequent, accessible trains, it’s easy to see how the Max is a viable option for many daily commuters.   (According to the TriMet website, the impetus for a “Fareless Square” centered around concerns about air quality back in the mid-1970s  The foregone fare money is partially subsidized by the city of Portland and a tax on employers in TriMet’s service area as it’s assumed that the free transit option brings significant tourism and convention business into the area.)

But one of the coolest things about the Max, is the extra love given to the gearheads…

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