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The Wall Street Journal today has a great piece on how Portland became the skateboarding capital of the world. Most would think of southern California as the mecca for skaters but WSJ author Conor Dougherty points out a slew of reasons why Portland now takes the title. Among other things, the article talks about the 15 year history of skate parks Portland, building of the now famous Burnside skate park (under the Burnside Bridge), plans for a total of 19 city skate parks and even how Mayor Adam’s chief of staff plays into all of this.
From the WSJ:
In Portland, skateboarding has been woven into parks and streets in the same manner as cycling or soccer. Skateboarding is illegal in downtowns across the country. Portland’s downtown is marked with “skate routes” featuring signs with a skateboarding stick figure. In most cities, skaters consider it a big victory when a skatepark is built. Portland is building a network of 19 skateparks scattered throughout the city. Skaters even have one of their own in City Hall: Tom Miller, chief of staff to Portland Mayor Sam Adams, rode into politics through skateboard advocacy and has continued pushing for skateparks from the inside
Read more HERE
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