Portland Documentary on PBS

[KarmicCurse]

This may belong in the non-Detroit forum, but I decided it was very relavent to our discussions about Detroit and posted it here instead. Moderators please move it if necessary.

PBS aired a documentary on Oregon's land use laws called "Making Sense of Place---Portland: Quest for the Livable City". [[Note: This is NOT the same show that aired in the spring which compared Portland, Denver, and New York. That show was probably a bit better but this one was quite effective as well.)

The show focused on the effects of the Urban Growth Boundary law over the last 40 years and presents both the positive and negative through interviews with residents. It effectively presents the debate over land use restrictions for the sustainability and health of the city and the rights of land owners for unrestricted choices.

I tried to find future show times on PBS's website but could not, although of course they tend to repeat shows througout the week, especially in the early hours. I highly recommend watching it.

I have never visited Portland but I have heard so many good things and this show confirmed the best of it. Even though the documentary seems to have a greater tilt towards the conservative side, at least as far as allotted air time.

At the risk of sounding dismissive of property rights, many of which are quite legitimate, I think it is only reasonable to curtail some owner choices in favor of a great and thriving city over the long term, rather than having the unrestriced and chaotic sprawl with a detetiorating center that has characterized our region for so long. I realize I haven't said anything dramatically new there, but to actually live in one extreme and see the other in the show was quite enlightening.