More boots (likely Doc Martens) are on the ground in downtown Portland. Foot traffic in the area continues to inch back to pre-pandemic levels, increasing 10% from 2022 to 2023, according to Downtown Portland Clean & Safe.
The organization’s end-of-year report tracked foot traffic trends within a 213-block radius using data from location analytics company Placer.ai. It found that “the prevailing trend is one of growth,” with 26.8 million pedestrians (read: cumulative totals, not unique visitors) counted in 2023 compared to 24.3 million the previous year.
January 2023 saw the largest year-over-year growth with a 40% increase; most of the following months logged 5%-10% upticks. The month with the most pedestrians? No shockers here — it was July. But December followed closely behind, thanks to holiday events and activities like the Portland Winter Ice Rink.
Can you guess the busiest intersection within the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe district? It was Southwest 10th Avenue and West Burnside Street — that’s the corner of Powell’s City of Books.
