ABSTRACT
People speak of "the Pearl" in almost mystical terms as though it had been conjured from forest mists as a thriving and ultimately cool oasis of urban development and metropolitan activity. Beginning in the 1980s, it became evident that young professionals with the means to live where they pleased gravitated toward the inner city instead of following their senior colleagues to big homes in the suburbs. The emerging new district possessed three key features: a scale and public realm that encourages walking; lots of active uses lining the streets; and strong connections to Downtown jobs, the theaters, galleries, retail, healthcare, and Portland State University. As the population grew with a preponderance of well-educated and articulate residents, their voices became more audible in City Hall. Developers of some of the earliest housing on former rail yards vigorously promoted the chic bohemian image of artists and galleries in nearby converted warehouses.
