Byrne, Bloomberg, Moses and Videos from Chinatown

Location as Destiny? What is it about certain cities and places that fosters specific attitudes? .. To what extent does the infrastructure of cities shape the lives, work, and sensibilities of their inhabitants? Quite significantly, I suspect, writes David Byrne in his new Bicycle Diaries.  All this talk about bike lanes, ugly buildings, and density of population isn’t just about those things, it’s about what kinds of people those places turn us into… Do creative, social, and civic attitudes change depending on where we live? Yes, I think so. Check the excerpt for musings on what may account for developments in Hong Kong. After missing Byrne at the talking bike heads book shindig to  last week at the Baghdad, it was good to catch him being interviewed this morning by Jacki Lyden on Weekend Edition.

Making Parking Cool. Bike lane building Michael Bloomberg reaches out to the frustrated motorist trying to find a parking place.   In his opinion piece in the Daily News this week, the New York Mayor challenges app developers to make parking and parking revenue collection more efficient.   How would you like to use your mobile device to see a map of available parking spaces in your neighborhood – and also use it to pay your meter? Or how about getting a text message as your meter is about to expire, so you can get back to your car before getting a ticket?

Dead Freeway Reference Work Sarah Mirk’s discussion of  never built Portland area got the attention of a lot of folks, including us.  Now the Mercury journalist has located the study of Portland that Robert Moses did 66 years ago with all of its now very quaint-looking hand drawn map and gentle watercolors of what might have been.  Writing from the other Portland, blogger Christian McNeil provides a nice review .

Chinatown Past and Future. New talking pictures this week!   Brought to you by the Portland Development Commission and staring, among others, our own Stephen Ying, is Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown.  

And Ivy Lin,  the energetic chronicler of the neighborhood and creator of Pig Roast and Fish Tank, Ivy Lin has issued an invitation to her next premiere. Coming Together Home, the story of the Chinese interred (not interned, as the sub title suggests) at Lone Fir Cemetary screens at 7 pm October 11, 2009 at Someday Lounge.   See you there.

Restroom design work wins PHLUSH invitation to international summit

Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human, or PHLUSH, has been invited to make two presentations to the prestigious World Toilet Summit in Singapore in December 2009.

Old Town Chinatownʼs public restroom advocates are busy preparing 20-minute presentations entitled Public Restroom Design for 21st Century US Cities: The PHLUSH Principles and Innovations in Sustainable Design: Case studies from Portland, Oregon.

The invitation came as surprise to PHLUSH, a committee of the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association whose efforts have focussed on downtown Portland. World Toilet Summit organizers had noticed the groupʼs work in urban restroom design on their website http://www.phlush.org . In order to participate, PHLUSH must now raise funds to permit two of its Co-Founders to travel to Singapore.

Tax-deductible donations are being received by Neighbors West-Northwest, a coalition of twelve Portland Neighborhood Associations that serves as fiscal sponsor for PHLUSH. Neighbors West-Northwest is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization accepting donations on line (at http://www.nwnw.org/Donate.html : add special instruction “PHLUSH” before hitting send ) and by check (to Neighbors West-Northwest, 2257 NW Raleigh St., Portland, OR 97210; put PHLUSH in memo line).

For the past four years, PHLUSH has worked to increase public restroom availability through well-focused citizen advocacy and practical, informed collaboration with local officials. The only organization of its kind in the United States, PHLUSH now has the opportunity to promote Portland and its acclaimed urban design and livability. Furthermore, participants will become familiar with the latest sustainable sanitation technologies and gain access to technical experts on issues ranging from composting toilets to proposed amendments to plumbing codes.

Please help PHLUSH take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to exchange expertise with participants at the 2009 World Toilet Summit.

Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human, or PHLUSH, has been invited to make two presentations to the prestigious World Toilet Summit and Expo in Singapore in December 2009.

Old Town Chinatownʼs public restroom advocates are busy preparing 20-minute presentations entitled Public Restroom Design for 21st Century US Cities: The PHLUSH Principles and Innovations in Sustainable Design: Case studies from Portland, Oregon.

The invitation came as surprise to PHLUSH, a committee of the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association whose efforts have focussed on downtown Portland. World Toilet Summit organizers had noticed the groupʼs work in urban restroom design on their website http://www.phlush.org . In order to participate, PHLUSH must now raise funds to permit two of its Co-Founders to travel to Singapore.

Tax-deductible donations are being received by Neighbors West-Northwest, a coalition of twelve Portland Neighborhood Associations that serves as fiscal sponsor for PHLUSH. Neighbors West-Northwest is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization accepting donations on line (add special instruction “PHLUSH” before hitting send ) and by check (to Neighbors West-Northwest, 2257 NW Raleigh St., Portland, OR 97210; put PHLUSH in memo line).

For the past four years, PHLUSH has worked to increase public restroom availability through well-focused citizen advocacy and practical, informed collaboration with local officials. The only organization of its kind in the United States, PHLUSH now has the opportunity to promote Portland and its acclaimed urban design and livability. Furthermore, participants will become familiar with the latest sustainable sanitation technologies and gain access to technical experts on issues ranging from composting toilets to proposed amendments to plumbing codes.

Please help PHLUSH take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to exchange expertise with participants at the 2009 World Toilet Summit.

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine gets go-ahead

A fine case study in the green reuse of an historic building comes with the Landmarks Commission’s approval of the new premises for the Oregon College of  Oriental Medicine.   Work on  the Globe Hotel at NW Couch and First in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown neighborhood is scheduled to begin this summer, with classes underway there for fall term 2010.

First a disclaimer: I’m a big OCOM fan.  Back in 2005 when the volunteer-short Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood was scrambling to put together the first Autumn Moon Festival, OCOM stepped right up.    They managed recruitment, suited us out in tee shirts and blended dozens of OCOM volunteers into our neighborhood ranks, enabling us to welcome 35,000 visitors!  

Same level of community engagement characterized the lengthy land use and design review processes.  OCOM folks were always here, figuring out the big picture, answering questions, explaining goals, listening to us.  A good neighbor for years now, OCAM can finally break ground and actually come to Old Town.

Reuse of the century old building entails LEED Gold enhancing features such as energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems, high performance windows, low flow toilets and sinks, storm water management, low emission paint and floor covering and conceivable type of materials reuse and recycling.

For the history of the build and technical details on its reuse, 

Reuse of the century-old Globe Hotel entails LEED Gold enhancing features such as energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems, high performance windows, low flow toilets and sinks, storm water management, low emission paint and floor covering and conceivable type of materials reuse and recycling.

For the history of the building and technical details on its reuse contributed by Ankrom Moisen Associated Architects, see the excellent coverage in Neighborhood Notes.

Rosey wants to have her voice heard!

The voice of our Old Town Chinatown neighbor Rosella Samuelson is not being heard.   For Rosey to enjoy this basic right, we are going have to take a significant step beyond just listening, organizing better meetings, and providing arenas for expression and exchange.  

Rosey is a bright, committed activist who is up to date on the issues and eager to participate.  Rosey wants her voice – her audible voice that cerebral palsy is robbing from her.  Not her thoughts in writing, becuase she doesn’t write.  She wants to get through to people, rather than have us nod, smile and pretend we understand.  She needs to talk to people in our neighborhood and beyond. Directly.  Her voice through our ears and into our minds and hearts.  

Rosey is featured this year in the Oregonian’s Season of Sharing.  Please read her story.  Here’s what what we can do neighbor-to-neighbor.   Got $25?  Put it into the voice amplifier that will help Rosey be heard (wish 16a). Got $5? Put it toward. the bus pass she needs to get to those meetings (wish 16b).  Let’s share.  Now.  Rosey has a lot to say and this is our opportunity to learn from her.

Rosey with friends at National Night Out 2007