Photo source: Better Block PDX Facebook page
Boris Kaganovich, along with his team of Better Block PDX volunteers, have been busy for the past month organizing their largest Better Block project to date, the Old Town/Chinatown Revitalization. Known as “the bad part of town,” the group hopes that the addition of sidewalk cafe seating, protected bike lanes and a pedestrian plaza will help change that perception, even if only for the weekend.
After plenty of meetings with neighborhood groups and City departments, the team was eager to get the project started. Luckily, the City was on their side; “At every meeting we went to, we heard not a single “No” to our project and only constructive criticism of how to make it better and tweak things a bit,” said Boris in an email to the Better Block team.
A concept plan was created with the help of the Fat Pencil design team and Nick Falbo of Alta Planning, a bike lane designer. After that, the team was ready to go.
The project is a big one with an immediate deadline — the group gave themselves a month to create four blocks worth of materials, including 150 planter boxes to carve out the protected bike lane and pedestrian plaza. Boris said he and his team purchased all of the Kreg 1″ screws in Portland and cleaned out two Home Depot’s worth of astroturf for the project.
With so many materials, the group still kept the project budget around $8,000, which they covered with the help of sponsors who stepped up to support the project. Now that they have all the tools and props from this project, said Boris, future projects will be cheaper. They also had a large amount of volunteers step up to the plate, starting with three at the very beginning of the project and ending with more than 30. Volunteers worked every evening in the weeks leading up to the project to complete the planters in time for the demonstration this weekend.
This project, along with Better Block PDX’s other two projects (a parking space plaza during Parking Day and a temporary plaza in a former turning lane), embodies the Better Block model of giving yourself a deadline, assembling a community team, working on a budget, increasing the perception of safety and encouraging bicycle and pedestrian activity. Though it takes time and dedication, Portland is another example that quickly improving your neighborhood is a very reachable goal.
The Old Town/Chinatown Better Block takes place along 3rd Avenue in Portland today through Sunday. Make sure to stop by if you’re in the area!