Wall of Trees

On my way to the Barbecue Fest last Friday I noticed this growing wall of trees on Main between Beale and Peabody Place. Eventually they should be as tall as, if not taller than, the buildings behind them.

The trees are inexpensively creating architectural space where demolition and a surface parking lot removed it 40 years ago. The feeling of enclosure helps bridge the walking gap between the Orpheum and the buildings and businesses north of Peabody Place.

Unfortunately, this is the only side of the block square parking lot that has trees, as you can see looking down the Beale side towards the River.

Maybe planting trees in an urban pattern is not as good as building, but it is something we can do now all over the city to begin filling chronic gaps.

Woonerf, La Rambla, Park Blocks and Main Street

Since there's been a lot of talk about returning and not returning cars to Main Street, I decided to help visualize various suggestions.

Woonerf.


A woonerf is what Jeff Speck's suggested for Main Street. A woonerf, where vehicular traffic is integrated with pedestrian activity, is not the return of pre-1974 Main Street. In fact part of Speck's point was that it would be not much different than the present state, where vehicles already travel down Main by special purpose (trolley, police, carriage) or by accident. Which is why it would only cost $50,000.

This is what our de facto woonerf looks like.

Cars on Main Woonerf would travel the same paths that the trolley travels.

La Rambla.




Suggested by the Pesky Fly.

Portland's Park Blocks.


Suggested by k. irène.