“It feels very active,” said Flood, 34. “Compared to a year or two ago it’s a lot cleaner, all of the plywood has come down, less trash on the streets. It’s just felt like a more vibrant and interesting and engaging place to spend time.”
. . .
There are a few signs that people may be starting to feel better about downtown. Horvick notes that just 38% of Portland area voters polled from Oct. 9 to Oct. 13 had a “very negative” impression of the city center. In April’s poll, 51% had a “very negative” impression.
I’ll be honest, the last time I went down there was 2 years ago or so and it looked like a set from the Walking Dead, but I’m open to checking it out again.
I think it’s definitely better. A lot more foot traffic, even if there aren’t as many business types on break. I went in 2021 for a passport and it was plywooded-up buildings, homeless people, and cops. Much better now, even though I feel like Portland is in a transition to being less big-business dependent. As for the poll, I’m guessing people just haven’t been there in awhile
