From Public Art Review: Public Art Sustains Portland

Public art in Portland is coming of age,  serving as both a reflection of and catalyst for the city's participatory culture and green heartbeat. Situated in Oregon's Willamette Valley between two mountain ranges and at the confluence of two rivers, Portland has long attracted the "green at heart." And the region's identity as a hub of sustainability has grown steadily based on progressive land-use planning, which has limited urban sprawl and encouraged green spaces, mass transit, and bicycling.

"Our park system and places like Pioneer Courthouse Square — Portland's  downtown 'living room'— represent the expectation thal the city is public and connected,'' says Ethan Seltzer, director of Portland State University's School of Urban Studies and Planning. Such farsighted development of Portland's public places has not only provided ground truth for the city's sustainability aspirations, it has opened the door for the expansion of public art over three decades......

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By Paula Manley
From Public Art Review
Fall/winter 2009
© 2009 Public Art Review