Walkers Paradise: The Antidote to the Unpardonable Sin

When I moved to the Pearl District I expected to bike on a regular basis.  Portland is one of the nation’s most bike friendly cities, but I quickly learned that in a neighborhood with a 98 walk score--a "walker's paradise" according to walkscore.com--relying on my feet is preferable.  It takes ten minutes to remove the bike from the underground garage, and in that time I could reach essential destinations: doctor, drugstore, hardware store, and a range of choices for groceries and eating.  

I live a Parisian lifestyle.  The Pearl District’s functional and pleasant pedestrian environment is a joy to transverse.  Bordered by the downtown and the historic Chinatown and Northwest neighborhoods, I can stroll to a market laden with fresh produce, a sidewalk café offering regional wines, a slew of art galleries, picturesque plazas, and the bibliophile’s dream, Powell’s bookstore.  Without the expense and upkeep of an auto, I can afford this lifestyle. But most of all I revel in being a flâneur, one who observes a city that plays to, as Balzac put it, “the gastronomy of the eye.”  The Pearl District is a feast.

Olive Twist at Kearny Plaza

Homer Williams, one of the Pearl District's visionary developers, created an environment that catered to pedestrians. He considered the 30-feet between the sidewalk and a building's second story the key. At the street level taller ceiling heights enhance a building’s appearance, create more attractive spaces, and provide greater flexibility for different uses over time.  Ideally, smaller retail establishments occupy the ground floor and there is a mix of building heights. This pattern enhances open spaces, pedestrian connections, architectural variety, and solar access.

The Wyatt, a 245-unit apartment building, exemplifies the special care given to the pedestrian realm. Built on the site of the Merchant Marine Warehouse, many of the original materials were repurposed, including burnished bricks and old growth timber.  A century old bridge trestle was refurbished and it connects to the historic Bridgeport Brewery across 13th Avenue.  The Wyatt's 15-story tower is set back and two-story apartments with brick facades front Marshall Avenue, a prime bike route. Entry gates to the frontdoor stairways engage the eye and leave one unaware that a tall structure looms overhead. The apartments also frame the pedestrian venue and coupled with the sidewalk and street trees they create a setting that not only offers safe passage, it delights the senses.

Wyatt at pedestrian level 

The Natural Capital Center, the first restored historic building to receive a gold LEED certification, offers the most interactive pedestrian experience in the Pearl District. Built in the classical Richardsonian Romanesque style in 1895, most of its recessed round-arched entries, arched window openings, and stucco and brick facings were preserved. The demolished portions of the structure were recycled, and to enhance the neighborhood's identity a section of the facade fronting 10th Avenue was left intact. The aged brick, faded timber, and rusted shutters outlining the space once filled with tall window panes is favored by brides, grooms, tourists, and celebrants looking for a defintive photo. The space is literally crawling with people, a reminder of our preternatural attraction to authenticity.

Natural Capital Center

Providing the right interaction between buildings and the street is an art. I live on a “complete street” that provides space for bicyclists, walkers, automobiles, and streetcars. It scores high on a pedestrian audit, a test designed by the Center for Disease to grade the quality of the walking environment. Parked cars provide buffers and improve safety on a street with two narrow lanes that limit traffic to 25 miles per hour. Street trees, mostly Norwegian Maples, define pedestrian space by creating a regular geometry over the visual length of the street. They also hide the tops of tall buildings and their canopies provide shade in the summer and filter the misty rain that falls from late October through April. The Norwegian Maple's blooms announce the end of the dreary winter months, and their green leaves soon brighten the dense urban environment. Street trees are comforting, crucial components in a setting conducive to random conversations and friendly nods.

Norwegian Maples in Bloom 

Pedestrians are easily bored, but the short 250-foot long block I inhabit has a diversity of uses. Buildings are set flush to the sidewalk, entryways are distinctive, and the mix of brick at the ground floor is inviting, especially in the retail establishments.  A small plaza and Jamison Square, a popular park, breaks the regimen. Building heights vary, but four to five stories is the general standard.

Jamison Square

Not all streets grade as high as my section of 11th Avenue on the pedestrian audit, but the surrounding grid of short blocks offers a variety of options to navigate the city. 13th Avenue, which had the lowest score in the Pearl District, does not have street trees or sidewalks, yet it is a popular destination.  Remains of the rail line that served the historic warehouses centers the street, and most buildings have been converted to offices and condominiums.  A host of restaurants occupy the ground floor, as the former loading docks provide prime outdoor seating as well as pathways for pedestrians. The street's tight conditions force drivers to be observant, which allows for a steady stream of foot traffic.  Patty Gardner, the longtime chair of the Pearl District Planning and Transportation Committee, encourages committee members to walk 13th Avenue to remind drivers of the etiquette of urbanism.

13th Avenue Historic District in Painting by G. Buhler

If the Pearl District is to have a pedestrian street, Gardner thinks it will be 13th Avenue.  It encompasses most of the historic district, and is closed to traffic on First Thursdays when local vendors hawk their wares, galleries extend their hours, and entertainment abounds.  The patina of aged brick on the repurposed warehouses evokes a sense of continuity with the past and emellishes a setting that draws crowds inured by the Pearl District's unique sense of place.

13th Avenue on First Thursday

Given my surroundings, I now walk for recreation. I religiously surpass 10,000 steps a day, but it’s a liberating obsession. I gave up television as well as a car with my move, and not having commercials bark inanity into my cerebral cortex has literally opened my mind. The time spent in front of the television being bombarded by corporate shills glorifying car ownership and speed is now spent walking and its reflexive action, contemplation.

I treasure not being encapsulated in a machine. Outside of the car, the world is more vibrant and senses more alert. Walking “alienates you from speed,” Frederic Gros, the author of A Philosophy of Walking writes. It allows you to embrace your surroundings and revel in the minutiae of life. The color and hue of the sky, the skills of the architect, the beauty of nature, and the qualities of others are not just observed, but considered. Your existence is enlivened and you are immune to “the unpardonable sin,” according to Joseph Campbell, “the sin of inadvertence, of not being alert, not quite awake.”

View from Broadway Bridge

The Pearl District is not paradise, but the propensity for sin is lessened. Moving through the landscape on your own power and finding sacroscant places gives meaning to life. I am still discovering special enclaves where I can make sense of the world and enjoy moments of bliss. Most important, I have the means to put my thoughts in perspective. “Sit as little as possible,” Frederick Nietzsche entoned, "and do not believe any idea that was not born in the open air and of free movement.”

View from Washington Park in late winter