Portland: Mecca of the US?

Above is the envisioned Cincinnati Streetcar + Light Rail system. When I here about these kinds of projects I am truly excited for the future of Cincinnati but one way to turn me off from the start is to mention Portland. Just because the Cincinnati MSA sits right next to the Portland MSA in terms of population that doesn't mean what works in Portland will work in Cincinnati. Basing an argument for the Cincinnati Streetcar or light rail based on Portland is a flawed argument and one I will not stand to listen to. Portland does not have the blessing nor the challenge of diversity that we face in Cincinnati. In fact, for the better part of the last century only 8% of Portland's population has been African American. Over 80% of the residents in the Portland MSA are white, which makes for a very homogeneous population. Furthermore, Portland is a much newer, less developed city than Cincinnati. When I say less developed I mean historically not economically. Add in the fact that the Portland area has adopted a Regional government and has a higher overall income per capita than Cincinnati and you begin to see why arguments based on Portland are flawed.

I care about Cincinnati, not Portland. We need to be revisiting Metro Moves not the Portland streetcar.