livable cities

As one blogger sees it, Seattle is smarter than Portland.

Portland and Honolulu may be higher on the “green-only litmus test” writes commentator Joel Kotkin, but  Seattle has a “smarter” economy. And I'd add a "luckier" economy to that list, because he goes on to note Seattle's location as the closest major port to the Asian Pacific.

Judging cities by economic fundamentals of infrastructure and livability, he says, would place cities like Seattle, Amsterdam, Singapore and Morterrey, Mexico, ahead of Portland. Seattleites are accustomed to hearing themselves compared unfavorably to Portland. It’s greener. Has more bike paths. Hipper. More livable. And so on. So this is good news for the bigger city with a chip on its shoulder.

Writing in the blog Newgeography, Joel Kotkin says:

"Although self-obsessed greens might see their policies as the key to the area's success, Seattle's growth really stems more from economic reality. In this sense, Seattle's boom has a lot to do with luck -- it's the closest major U.S. port to the Asian Pacific, which has allowed it to foster growing trade with Asia. Furthermore, Seattle's proximity to Washington state's vast hydropower generation resources -- ironically the legacy of the pre-green era -- assures access to affordable, stable electricity.