Photo Essay on the South Waterfront: New Urbanism meets the Great Recession

Portland's South Waterfront community along the Willamette River just south of downtown is served by an aerial tram to the Marquam Hill campus of Oregon Health and Science University and a streetcar line that loops through the city.  It is full of gleaming new buildings with a riverfront trail and attractively planted public spaces, and offers housing for a variety of income levels.  However, its promoters have been unable to attract sufficient luxury condominium buyers, leading to an auction on September 20 where condos were sold at steep discounts.  At the end of August, I explored the South Waterfront and and posted a photo essay to Facebook.