(sketch by Justin)
The Oregonian reported this weekend that property owners at the SoWhat project are resisting the commitment to spend 30% of development dollars in the area on affordable housing, since they'd rather spend that money on parks and whatnot. Who can blame them -- parks and even streets are soooo much nicer to have around than poor people (although I'm not sure how they're defining "affordable" -- I put in a call to find out, but it may just be the tacky middle class that they're worried about). The Portland Development Commission is researching the issue. Given the PDC's recent fight to avoid paying prevailing wages on its projects, as well, I'm thinking maybe we can sell them on this idea from Justin.
The PDC vision is "to be a catalyst for positive change in the creation of a world-class 21st Century city; a city in which economic prosperity, quality housing and employment opportunities are available to all."
The Jin-rickshaw for the homeless offers all three in one at a price PDC should be comfortable with! Plus, showers!
At night, the homeless could park their rickshaws in the beautiful parks that will be made possible with the increased funds. Sleeping under the stars after a hard day's work -- it just doesn't get any better than that.
And this way, when the tram breaks down, people would still have a way to get around!
It's a win-win all around!!
We will have to investigate if rickshaws come in a family size. Or maybe we could have child-sized rickshaws? Maybe homeless childeren could pull even smaller children around! OMG -- how cute would that be??!!
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