lilleprins's Profile

JenPDX, I lived in Portland until very recently and never had any trouble with water, sewer, or electricity. In fact, I remember that the city was spending many millions of dollars to upgrade the sewer system to eliminate runoff into the Willamette River.

I think it's a sad comment on the state of our political system that such a bold move on Portland's part is treated with such cynicism ("posturing themselves for media coverage") on a blog devoted to green living.

But JenPDX, please do correct me if in the last 5 months Portland has stopped delivering potable water to its residents, if toilets across Portland have ceased flushing, or if brownouts are now the norm.

Wertygirl and Scott, I agree with you 100% that new construction is where the problem lies. But doesn't that mean that this is exactly what such an initiative should target? Keep in mind that in Portland, most new houses being constructed are infill which leads to higher densities, more effective transit, and have many other "green" benefits. The suburbs beyond Portland are, of course, a different story, but they aren't subject to this proposed change.

This is a huge proposal and it saddens me to see such a lukewarm response on this blog. Is there anyone out there who thinks this is more than a political gimmick? Anyone? Please?!

What a great tool! I agree with others that there are a few shortcomings. The big one for me is not having transit stop info, which Google Maps does now have for some cities. The creator does acknowledge the site's shortcomings -- http://www.walkscore.com/how-it-doesnt-work.shtml . And hopefully over time some of these can be addressed.