The Oregonian’s unscientific analysis eschews any balanced discussion of the impact such unplanned growth in commercial activity, away from any of the nodes of Portland’s extensive public transit network, has on traffic patterns, congestion and commute times.  Instead, the paper uses random anecdotes from a few satisfied white collar workers who love the proximity to home and the health club to justify the inevitable popularity of Kruse Way.  This myopic interpretation, which tosses in proximity to highways and differences in tax rates to add legitimacy, artfully ignores the real story: the benefits of thoughtful planning and long term infrastructure investments are being undermined by the selfish behavior of a small minority of business leaders.

Office parks like those on Kruse Way and in affluent suburbs of nearly every major U.S. metropolis, owe their existence and success to the location decisions of business managers who rely on a single criterion in choosing an office location: proximity to their house.  My former employer was no different; they leased space there only because the lead manager lived nearby.  Yet, you don’t need to look too far down the org chart to find employees who can’t afford to live in the picture perfect neighborhoods near the office.  If they could, the location would cease to offer the exclusivity that senior managers crave to signal their station in life.  The long commutes, lack of public transportation and resulting car dependence inflicted on the rank and file are not a product of bad luck or happenstance.  In a perverse way, these conditions are required proxies for business owners in search of escapist office locations.  They, of course, would never admit as much, but exclusive communities have to earn their reputations.  And starter homes and bus stops are the first to go.

I realize I’ve painted business owners with a broad brush.  Many do see the wisdom and profit in fostering a contented workforce by locating downtown.  Others, like John Thorner of the National Recreation and Park Association, realize the toll a suburban office location takes on everday commuters.  Thorner made news recently by telling his previously desk-bound employees to work from home one day a week.   That this seemingly logical decision is newsworthy is a sad statement, but we need to start somewhere.  If business owners insist on working near their homes, the least they can do is let their employers work from theirs.