14 Could Bolder Plans Re-Build Our Confidence in West Coast Cities? With Nolan Lienhart

Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence

Portland was once a darling of American urban planning. Then came the protests, the pandemic, and the pundit pile-on. Is the city really in free fall—or just between chapters?

In this episode, we sit down with Nolan Lienhart, a principal at ZGF Architects and a leading voice in West Coast urban design. Based in Portland, Nolan offers a firsthand look at how perceptions of the city have been a rollercoaster ride over the last 10 years.

We talk about what Portland got right, what it lost along the way, and why public agencies across the country have lost their appetite for risk and experimentation. From the Portlandia effect to the myth of seamless civic collaboration, Nolan unpacks why cities that seem successful can suddenly seem stuck—and what they can do to move forward.

**Special thanks to Pacific Time's inaugural sponsor, Share It Music -- the independent, non-profit record label behind such bands as Cumulus. (Listen to the end of the episode for a taste)**

Highlights:

• The "Portlandia effect" and the myth of effortless success
• Why public-private partnerships require tolerance for risk—which is in short supply when everyone is a critic
• What Portland gets unfairly blamed for (and what it shouldn’t take credit for)
• How media coverage in 2020 distorted the reality on the ground
• What cities like Nashville and Austin are doing right—and why they might be the new models
• The limits of placemaking: when physical design isn’t enough
• Portland’s housing affordability crisis as a missing pillar in its planning legacy
• Where West Coast cities need to go next—and who needs to lead the way

Guest Bio:
Nolan Lienhart is a principal and director of planning and urban design at ZGF, a multidisciplinary design firm based in Portland, Oregon. He has led projects in Seattle, Los Angeles, and other West Coast cities, with a focus on transit, downtown revitalization, and equitable public space. Nolan is known for bringing honesty, humility, and historical perspective to conversations about what cities need now.

Suggested Resources:

• ZGF Architects’ design work on Portland’s transit mall, streetcar system, and PSU campus
• Nolan Lienhart, Principal and Director Planning & Urban Design at ZGF Architects on LinkedIn
• Portland’s Downtown Plan (1972) – the foundational policy document that informed much of Portland’s modern form
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Jane Jacobs’ seminal work in urban planning

Related Episodes:

• 10 What if Blue Cities Got it Together? With Sandeep Kaushik
• 09 Will California Bring the Unsexy Back? With Dan Walters
• 02 How Can the West Coast Redesign Itself? With Mickey McManus
• 08 Leave America and Discover Ecotopia? (Solo)
  
  

Join the movement:

💬 Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’ Come to the community center for Pacific Time at Substack.

Follow:

📲 Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook

Listen:

🎧 Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thanks to these members of the Pacific Time Community:

• Tim Wohlberg, Producer
• Valerie McTavish, Consultant
• Laura Goff, Sister (for putting up with me and introducing me to Nolan)
• Cayle Sharett, Founder, Share It Music
• Kara Mattani, Sub-Pop Records (for introducing me to Cayle)