[tworivers]

Tykendo, I mostly agree with you. I strongly suspect that these writers are the typical provincial, culturally bland PDXers with a fear of anything too contemporary ("trendy") or anything that doesn't "fit in".

Personally, I don't think that stumpiness is really the issue with Portland's skyline. I think it's more about the quality of what tends to get built downtown. Look at the pathetic waterfront. I do want to "go special", I just don't care about how many tall buildings we have or will ever have.

Sprinkle in some 500-footers, sure -- despite the fact that our economy clearly does not have the demand for it and our billionaires either have suburban mindsets or live in Seattle (maybe someday?) -- but what I think central Portland really needs pronto is more architectural moxy, bolder/smarter developers, and more of a concerted effort (a la South Waterfront but with incentives and disincentives specific to the DT area) to fill in every available spot currently vacant or devoted to auto parking or Plaid Pantry's or whatever into vibrant mixed-use residential development from market rate to subsidized/affordable.