The Sunflower in the Middle of the Street

Not far from our home there is a residential intersection that symbolizes what Portland, specifically SE Portland, means to us.

First, a little background. Apparently in the 1990's the inner Portland neighborhoods were having problems. I mean, most of these houses were built over 100 years ago, so things were getting pretty run down. There were signs of some pretty serious urban decay. In 2001 members of the neighborhood started getting together to brainstorm what they could do to breathe life into their community and improve its livability and vitality. They did such a good job that it's hard for me to imagine this place as anything but the artsy and beautiful place it is today.

An intersection was designated as a community space in an effort to increase social cohesion. Neighbors planned it out and raised all the money necessary to carry out their plans. A giant sunflower was painted in the intersection, a community board was installed on one of the corners, and a little book sharing library appeared a few years later. This is Sunnyside Piazza and we love it.

The neighborhood gets together every year to repaint the sunflower. This year it was our privilege to be able to participate. Hundreds of people came throughout the day to help. Neighbors brought food to share. There was a live band, crafts and games for the kids, and face-painting. Our kids mostly painted rocks and planter boxes that will go on the corners of the intersection. Tommy and Ben even got to paint some of the red on the actual sunflower. That work was a little bit too intricate for Lily this year, but maybe next year she can do some of that :)

After painting the sunflower we went to the park one block away and played. We saw lots of the same people going back and forth between the sunflower and the park. It's so great to live in a community that gets together like this to share, to do something bigger than any one individual, to improve and beautify their neighborhood. It's inspiring.