Portland officials and business leaders say downtown foot traffic has rebounded to its busiest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic, a sign they say the city is beginning to recover after a tumultuous period of rising crime, visible drug use and business departures.
A foot-traffic report released earlier this week showed the downtown area recorded more than 21.24 million pedestrian trips in August, a 5.6% increase from the same month a year earlier and the highest summer totals since before the pandemic, according to the report. Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Metro Chamber, said the figures were a welcome sign.
"Portland remains resilient, and downtown vibrancy is trending in a positive direction," Hoan said, while also urging continued work to improve conditions for businesses and housing. City officials and business groups have been tracking pedestrian counts and other measures as indicators of recovery.
The surge in foot traffic follows political and prosecutorial changes after sustained criticism of how the city handled protests, property crime and visible substance use. Progressive Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, first elected in May 2020 amid the protests that followed George Floyd's death, drew scrutiny for his charging decisions and policy directives and was defeated in 2024. Voters elected Nathan Vasquez, who campaigned on a pledge to focus more heavily on public safety and to rebuild relationships with law enforcement.
Vasquez, in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting shortly before taking office, said he intended to prioritize public safety while also expanding treatment capacity and intervening earlier with people cycling through the criminal justice system. "I believe it’s time that we look at public safety as a priority. I want to see people get stable, get into a healthy situation, and then get them out of the criminal justice system," he told OPB. He added that the office would work to increase jail capacity and offer substance-use treatment as part of a broader strategy.
Critics of the previous approach frequently pointed to prosecution statistics and public-health data. The notes released with recent commentary cited that of roughly 550 protest-related cases referred by police, 47 went to trial under Schmidt's tenure, and that fatal opioid overdoses increased from 280 in 2019 to 628 in the first six months of 2023 as homeless encampments and open-air drug markets expanded. Business groups have said more than 2,600 businesses left or closed in the city center by September 2022, a trend they attributed to reduced shopper confidence and increases in retail theft.
Portland's struggles with street homelessness and drug use also intersected with statewide changes in drug policy. Oregon voters approved a measure in 2020 that reduced penalties for possession of small amounts of certain drugs and emphasized treatment, a shift opponents have blamed for worsening open-air markets in some neighborhoods even as supporters argued it directed people away from incarceration and toward services.
City officials have taken a range of steps to address the problems, with varying proposals from criminal-justice policy changes and enforcement adjustments to expanded social services. The mayor's office in the city sent a mass email this year to roughly 17,000 recipients on the City Hall list seeking volunteer time, donations of household items and other assistance to help address homelessness, a move that drew attention and some criticism for its tone and timing.
Portland leaders emphasized that while recent foot-traffic data are encouraging, they represent one metric among many in assessing downtown recovery. "Portland’s heart is beating stronger and stronger every month," the mayor said, adding that businesses and events downtown help demonstrate the city's appeal. Officials said they plan to continue efforts to make downtown lively and safe every day of the week.
Analysts and civic leaders said progress will depend on sustained coordination between the district attorney's office, law enforcement, social-service providers and business groups. The coming months will test whether the increase in pedestrian activity translates into longer-term economic recovery and reduced crime rates as the new prosecutorial approach and other policy changes take hold.