I was a kid from South Portland who grew up loving to frequent Portland as much as possible. Fast forward a few decades and my curiosity for cities has expanded to include the natural environment found within them. Despite South Portland neighboring Portland, my curiosity with my neighbor was unique especially in comparison to my friends who only saw Portland as a place you visit as an adult once you could enjoy the nightlife of the city.
My vision for the ideal exchange between South Portland and Portland is a bit more complex than offering nightlife. Instead, it is a call to cogenerate actions to bring about urban sustainability because we share a future in which climate change will require each municipality to modify its relationship to its local environment and neighboring places. So herein lies my ask to South Portland and Portland. It is an ask to go after a future that can be made more sustainable through both places working on sustainability goals that are fitting for each place and accounts for what the other is doing to further place-based environmental actions. Example actions could include launching a tree stewardship program or developing urban heat island maps.
In a nod to “Battle of the Bridge,” I propose a “Battle for Urban Sustainability.” By cogenerating ideas, the cities of Portland and South Portland will be prepared to manage for future growth and the consequential impacts of climate change like sea level rise. While recognizing that we respond well to competition between the two of us, this latest iteration of the battle between South Portland and Portland aims to create a win-win scenario for both of us and keeps in mind the unique conditions that have shaped each place into a distinct stop along the southern Maine coast.
Tanner Burgdorf
South Portland
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