Portland is awash in more than just craft beer. It’s a mecca of Pacific Northwest urbanism. The look and feel of Portland is very noticeably different from its sister city Seattle. Many residential neighborhoods have a greater mixing of housing types. Neighborhood business districts are much more plentiful. The scale of buildings and blocks ebbs and flows in places like the Pearl District. The character of neighborhoods seems much more cohesive, which is reflected even in newer developments. And everyday urbanism like playful green streets, sidewalk cafes, farmers markets, and street vendors just don’t seem forced.

Taking over the @urbanistorg Twitter handle for the weekend, I tweeted out a bunch of observations on Portland’s local urbanism. Instead of spilling too much ink, here’s just a few snapshots from the streets of Portland:

So what do you think of Portland’s local urbanism?

Article Author
Stephen Fesler
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Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.