Portland 1, Portland 2-4

Jack DeAngelis

Portland 1: Read the introductory material (pages 1-29) and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer)

* Both books emphasize the study of place. Define the geographic concept of “place”. Illustrate the concept by describing the place where you are this summer.

The introduction sets up the culture atlas by briefly defining Portland and the surrounding area by its geographic boarders, physical scenery and societal mentalities.  This ultimately will come to define how one understands and “structures” (Banis and Shobe) Portland as a place.  Because the world is simply made up of many places, the authors argue that geographic areas are a means for people to understand the world around them.  This summer, I am in my hometown, Wilton, Connecticut.  I live in my family’s house on my family’s property.  There are forests nearby and rivers that run under the streets that connect me and my family to other people that make up Wilton.  This town is part of the state because it is connected to other towns in Connecticut which functions as one of fifty states within the USA.  Of course, America is one nation on a planet full of others.  My understanding of place connects me with people all over the globe.

* Before reading this book, think about your preconceived idea of the City of Portland. From this introductory material, describe two things that matched your preconceived notion of Portland.

Describe two things that you had not previously associated with Portland.

Before reading this book, I unfortunately always imaged Portland to be packed with extreme liberals and tie-dye-loving hippies.  While this may be true to some extent, Portlandness’ introduction clearly wipes away this preconceived idea of the city by framing the idea of place as a widely varying entity.  I had never noted the apparently exceptional public transportation system and had always linked rainy days with Seattle, not Portland.  In fact, it seems as if the city possesses an innovate and industrial progressiveness that is quite the opposite of my preexisting notions.

* Why did the authors choose to introduce Portland as a Cascadian City? What does it mean to be a Cascadian City?

The main reason for introducing Portland as a Cascadian City is to prevent “conventional and often stereotypical views about Oregon, the Northwest, the West Coast, and the United States” (Banis and Shobe 16).  This helps to introduce the concept of place as a dynamic and multilayered idea.  Additionally, presenting the idea of an independent Cascadia helps the reader to understand the many cultural, societal and political issues that the area faces today.  While the many explanations of Cascadia can be defined by differing geographic boarders, they all seem to include a united yearning for Callenbach’s Ecotopia.

* What is the essence of Portlandness? Why are maps a useful way of presenting this idea?

The authors have cleverly devised their own scale of measuring the city: Portlandness.  This gauge attempts to capture the crux of Portland which means Portlandness’ essence is quite literally the city itself.  The varying levels of Portlandness can be measured best with maps because this spatial representation can help readers to visualize the degrees of each characteristic of Portland that contributes to the Portlandness scale.

Portland 2-4: For three of the main sections of the book (I-VII), choose one of the perspectives presented (e.g., for I. Urban Landscapes, you could choose Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City), and answer the following questions (no more than a short paragraph per answer):

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The first section, Urban Landscape, is the perfect way to follow the introduction.  By leading off the main sections of the cultural atlas, Urban Landscapes helps to initially break down the city.  Portland is renowned for its “forward-thinking planning and innovative urbanism” (Banis and Shobe 31), but does it really live up to its reputation?  Is the landscape really dominated by parks, gardens and bicycle lanes?  This section seems to tackle this question head on while also beginning to separate the city into discrete neighborhoods.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read this section through the perspective of Manufactured Spaces because this subsection deals with the negative space of Portland.  While initially exploring zoning, industrial and slough areas near the Willamette, this subsection continues to track the cryptic no-man’s- land of the Taylor Electric Supply warehouse.  The area is dynamic and ever-changing while simultaneously remaining a nook of culture that helps to define the city.  This almost awkward space grants people an outlet for “unscripted and emergent activities” (Banis and Shobe 49).

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can.  Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

Locating, tracking and mapping spaces similar to the Taylor Electric Supply property would be difficult considering that, by definition, they are off the beaten path; however, Richmond has its own areas where grassroots efforts have produced exceptional artwork, especially downtown near the Pipeline Trail.  Perhaps the title would be “Awkward Areas, Stubborn Spaces and Impromptu Places.”

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The Once and Future City explores what Portland could have been by recounting much of the city’s history.  By looking back into the past and tracking the changes of the landscape, one can understand why certain areas have developed into what they are today.  Imagining what isn’t there can be difficult, especially when concrete structures forcefully cover much of the ground, but this view is imperative when understanding any location.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read this section through the perspective of Ethnic Imprints because this seems to define many east coast cities while failing to define Portland.  While New York City and Boston have distinct neighborhoods that are known for being predominately comprised of a certain ethnicity, Portland’s ethnic communities failed to significantly mark the city for a long period of time.  Instead, immigrants “assimilated and dissipated” (Banis and Shobe 62) very quickly, leaving the city with little culturally European neighborhoods.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can.  Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

A map that tracked nationality, heritage and ethnicity of the people of Richmond could possibly represent this concept.  The main flaw of the map would be in the actual celebration of the people’s nationality, heritage or ethnicity.  For example, one family could be marked on the map as a foreign-born group while, in reality, they assimilated into Richmond quickly and gave up the traditions of their old country.  In this situation, the family would be poorly represented on the map.  If such a map were produced, perhaps it would be titled “Lasting Effects of Foreign Ethnicity on the city of Richmond.”

FB Map of Portland and Ethnic Map of Portland

Perhaps a combination of these two maps would match my description.

* What is the main concept illustrated in this section (e.g., what is an Urban Landscape)?

The main concept of section three, Wildness, sets up the constant tension of the rural verses the urban.  While the two entities are often contradictory in many US cities, Portland is renowned for fusing the two into a peaceful and balanced way of life.  While this is the main predisposition tied to the city, it may not be all true.  This section of the culture atlas challenges this stereotype and explores where anthropocentric and manufactured areas rub up against organic and natural lands.

* What perspective did you choose to read for this section (e.g., Bridgetown, Under the Bridges, Where the Sidewalk Ends… or Naked City)? Why? How would you describe Portland according to this perspective in a few sentences?

I chose to read this section through the perspective of Heterotopia: The Columbia Slough because it clearly describes the “verdant utopia” and the “industrial dystopia” (Banis and Shobe 95) that reside within the city.  While Foucault’s concept of a heterotopia does not mean that the rural and urban elements are balanced or complementary in a specific area, the idea does represent where the two very different landscapes intersect.  Perhaps Portland is just one huge heterotopia where urban sprawl continues to grow deeper and deeper into the surrounding forests.  This conflict seems to take center stage in most of Portland’s political and societal issues, but it seems as if residents have been able to forge a middle path that acquires at least some sort of balance between lifestyles.

* What map would you produce for Richmond to represent this concept? Why? What would be the title of the map? What might the map look like? (go ahead and sketch it, if you feel you can. Don’t worry about the technology, if you can’t post the drawing.)

A map that represented this concept for the city of Richmond would have to be separated into tiny squares covering the entire city.  Any square area that was dominated by vegetation would be represented in green while any square area that was dominated by industrial structures would be represented in grey.  Finally, any square area that seemed to balance the two equally would be represented by a third color, thus depicting the heterotopian regions.  I would title this map “A Timeless Battle: Rural and Urban at the Crash Zone.”