PDX

In January, we took the the train to Portland, Oregon and had a week of fun filled inspiration!  I have been to Portlandia before for bike events... but I had never been there without a Canadian contingent, bike events and PDX tour guides!

So we went on a bit of a tour to visit some friends, and see why PDX is the centre of everything awesome in Cascadia!

We biked alot, ate delicious food and connected with lots of great people.  I didn't get to all the City Repair places as I had wanted to, so next time...  Most of the sites I visited have to do with permaculture, placemaking and City Repair- so scattered through this blog are a few quotes about Placemaking by Mark Lakeman, courtesy of some Visionary Permaculture Interviews by Delvin Solkinson.

N Sumner and Albina Park

" I think the great revelation of placemaking is to realize that the earth is our home." -Mark Lakeman

 

 

Sumner Albina Park with a great mural on the side of a produce shop

How did we know we were in PDX?  Well I think within the first half hour of being there we saw: bicycles everywhere, ironic facial hair, plaid, organic grocery shops, cargo bikes, food carts, community gardnes, communal houses with chore wheels, dumpster diving, live music...  seriously, the TV show Portlandia, is funny because it's true.

N interstate and N Willamette- cob wall at Trillum Charter School

N interstate and N Willamette- cob wall at Trillum Charter School

Funky signage

Book Lending  Library

The Ubiquitous Free Boxes around PDX

 

 

Poetry Posts

Fargo Food Forest NE Fargo and N Williams Ave, PDX

Fargo Food Forest NE Fargo and N Williams Ave, PDX

"Placemaking is a reflection of the vision and the participation of people in a place.  It's not a thing that someone external can design, it's something that has to emerge from the ground where people are." -Mark Lakeman

Palm Tree Ride

We had the opportunity to go on the yearly PDX Palm Tree ride.  This is a daytime group ride where an bunch of people get together and go for a ride to check out different kinds of palm trees that are grown in Portland.  Super botany biker geekiness!  We also had the opportunity to meet some inspiring bike families on this ride!

This Mom had a 2yr old and a 5yr old on this ride!

The epic nature of this family ride dashboard- music, coffee, water, iphone mount, bell, lights, kids toys!

Storm water catchment into bioswales

Intersection painting at Tilamook and N Rodney

"A place is memorable, beautiful, functional and resilient over time because it integrates all these different considerations.  Designing is a means to engender relationships between people.  Creating things that are intentional and permanent in public space is literally creating a sense of commons where before there was only a void. " -Mark Lakeman