Planning Pool Original: Northeast Portland Tool Library
Tags: britannia community center, community development, Economic Development, michael degutis, northeast portland tool library, planning pool original, tom thompson, tool library
Owning your own hammer probably makes some sense, as does possessing a screwdriver of some sort, but is it necessary to own that ridiculously tall ladder for the one time every year you clear your rain gutters? Home Depot would probably have you believe so, and, really, what’s your alternative? Perhaps you have a friend or neighbor who’ll kindly lend you whatever it is you need, but if not, you might be stuck buying a ladder (or doing something really dangerous).
Fortunately for some folks, a limited number of North American communities offer a novel way to avoid building a personal hardware cache: a local tool library.
In January, Daniella shared how she and some colleagues incorporated a tool library into concept designs for the Britannia Community Centre. To follow up, we visited the Northeast Portland Tool Library for our latest Planning Pool Original. As we learned, tool libraries are as much about sharing as they are about tools. Enjoy…
Northeast Portland Tool Library from Planning Pool on Vimeo.
Special thanks to Tom Thompson and the Northeast Portland Tool Library. Visit their site to learn more. Also, thanks to Michael Degutis, who did a lot of the editing for this feature, but stoically took no credit.
Check out more of our media in the Planning Pool Originals section. If you have an idea for a future PP Original or you’d like to participate, contact us at media@planningpool.com.
