portland loo portland loo the portland loo is a type of single-occupancy public toilet designed by the city of portland, oregon. it is manufactured, sold, and marketed by the portland-based manufacturer madden fabrication under license from the city, for $96,000 each. the first unit was installed in the old town chinatown neighborhood in portland in 2008. since the first unit was installed, additional 54 units have been purchased by february 2018, mostly by 20 other cities and 15 of them within the city of portland. portland loo at colonel summers park. this unit is fitted with a sharps disposal option. it was placed into service in september 2017.randy leonard alongside portland loo, 2010 in 2014, marketing for the restroom was transferred from the city of portland to madden fabrication. design and placement the portland loo has features such as blue lighting said to make it difficult for intravenous drug users to find a vein for injection. after portland loos were installed in chico, california, the chico enterprise-record editorial board summarized what has worked and what didn't: they credited human attendants as the key to successful locations such as the attended locations in los angeles and san francisco. features and specifications the toilets can be solar powered. the interior dimensions are 6 feet (1.8 m) x 10.5 feet (3.2 m), so a user can wheel in a bicycle or baby-stroller to protect them from theft. water consumption is 1.28 us gallons (4.8 l) per flush there is a maintenance closet in the rear that includes a hose for cleaning. one of the prefabricated loos can be installed in as little as two hours if a concrete pad on which to place the loo has been prepared in advance, complete with the utility connections. customization and options some installations have been fitted with a sharps disposal option for needles, primarily in the area with high transient activity due to the increased drug activity by homeless people. the sharps disposal is a hole above the handrail marked with the biohazard symbol and lettering "sharps disposal". in portland, some units are fitted with sharps disposal receptacle, such as the one at colonel summers park that was placed into service in september 2017 in the buckman neighborhood and south park blocks. list of locations cities that have purchased one or more portland loos cityyearqtynotes portland200815 portland's first loo was installed in 2008. the city had 15 loos by 2018. six of the downtown toilets are generally open 24/7. the remainder follow park hours and may close seasonally. victoria, bc20125 victoria was the first city, after portland, to install a loo. cambridge, ma20162 a broad coalition of groups had been lobbying for cambridge to replace the public washrooms that were closed by the city in 2012. the first portland loo in the boston area was installed just outside the main entrance to harvard university. the second loo in cambridge was installed at the expense of $320,000 after a citizen initiative in central square. cincinnati2015 political activists had been calling for improved access to public toilets since 2011. cincinnati had considered, and rejected, an alternate plan to provide public toilets, in 2013. missoula, montana2017 montreal20171 montreal's loo is just one of a dozen new public toilets the city ordered in 2017. olympia, washington20171 at artesian commons seattle20193 the city of seattle installed single-occupancy self cleaning toilets in 2003 in pioneer square. they were removed in 2008, with city officials commenting that the project failed because they were placed into "neighborhoods that already had many drug users and transients." seattle installed its third portland loo in ballard commons park in 2019. san antonio20172 by the time the second loo was installed, the san antonio police credited the first loo with a significant decrease in human waste polluting city streets. austin two units will be installed at the expense of $450,000 and scheduled to open in november 2019. san diego20151 san diego installed two loos in 2015, and removed one after a reported increase in crime rates and maintenance costs. a transient interviewed by a union-tribune reporter shared his observation that it was rare to find feces on the streets until the removal of portland loo. albuquerque20171 installed in 2020 at the plaza vieja public parking lot in old town after being purchased at auction in 2017. vancouver, british columbia5 according to the portland tribune "a portland loo in vancouver, b.c. was voted the best public toilet in canada in 2012." vancouver had 5 loos by 2018. vancouver, washington20182 the loos come equipped with both a baby-changing table, and "sharps" disposal bin. city authorities reported that using ordinary port-a-potties as public toilets represented a threat to maintenance workers, as there was no safe place to dispose of used syringes. galveston5 galveston had 5 loos by 2018. galveston's loos are near its seawall and all include an outdoor shower for bathers. dunedin, new zealand20161 the loo was installed in 2016 at the top of a steep street with a scenic view popular with tourists from cruise ships. previously, the area had no public toilet and human waste was an issue for local residents. miami, florida operated 12 hours a day with an attendant. emeryville, california20171 emeryville's loo installation prompted calls for nearby oakland and berkeley to follow its example. ketchikan, alaska20141 called stedman-thomas neighborhood loo kamloops, bc20182 smithers, bc20171 the smithers loo was the first to be adapted to make sure its pipes don't freeze during especially cold winter days. nelson, bc20171 open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in conjunction with other toilets during the busy summer tourist season. may open other seasons if deemed necessary. nanaimo, bc20131 the second loo ordered from canada. monterey, california20151 the loo was placed outside of monterey california's major transit hub. the loo was judged a success, and the monterey-salinas transit is considering purchasing another. arcata, california20141 garberville, california ventura, california20181 the county's older toilets had been a target of vandalism, to which a portland loo was seen as less vulnerable. sacramento, california20191 to be installed in cesar chavez park. salt lake city2 at 500 west and 200 south, downtown salt lake city, near old greektown station reno, nevada20201 installed along a scenic trail overlooking the truckee river. grand rapids, michigan20201 installed in the heartside neighborhood. kalamazoo, michigan20201 officials listed the covid 19 virus as a reason for installing a portland loo. kelowna, bc20211 installation of a portland loo in rowcliffe park was completed in early 2021. santa rosa, ca20211 in front of the city hall annex at 94 santa rosa ave. public reception portland loo in central square, cambridge, massachusetts in 2011, police officer (and future police union president) daryl turner characterized the existing portland loo in the old town chinatown neighborhood in portland described as "randy leonard's crack house right there" and "a favorite nighttime destination for drug dealers and prostitutes, who conduct their business behind its closed door." in 2014, national geographic's documentary drugs, inc. dope-landia featured two female transients occupying the portland loo at the same time and smoking methamphetamine at the southwest naito parkway and southwest taylor street location in downtown portland by the tom mccall waterfront park. in mid-2016, residents near the san diego toilet called it "a magnet for crime and homelessness". an editorial intern for the special interest magazine yes! magazine called criticism of the portland loo a focus point for "systematic denial of humanity to homeless people". san diego officials documented an increase in police calls after portland loo units were installed. the calls are mostly disturbance of peace-type relating to transient people. in july 2015:according to a memo from city chief operating officer scott chadwick, police were called to the restroom at 14th and l streets 25 times between april and june, compared to 11 times in the same period last year — before the facility was installed. calls at the other one climbed from 32 to 58.in 2016, some stakeholders in seattle's u-district expressed concerns about increase in transient people and drug activity with the proposed installation of a portland loo in their neighborhood. in october 2017, caddo parish, louisiana commission discussed on the proposal for installing a portland loo on the courthouse grounds. during the commission discussion, commissioners commented "we don't need to be doing anything to attract people to the courthouse" and "transient people are going to be on the courthouse grounds". the commission voted to move the discussion to long range planning commission. some business owners in san diego expressed concerns about increase in drug and transient activity in general. the city of san diego decommissioned one of the two portland loos installed due to transient activity and crime and put the removed loo up for auction on govdeals. the city of albuquerque purchased it for $20,000 in the summer of 2017. krqe reported in october 2018 that despite having purchased and taken delivery of the portland loo, it has yet to be installed. city councilor benton's office did not respond to krqe's request for explanation. the loo has been praised by a homelessness advocacy group in washington, d.c. and a columnist for toronto star. intellectual property the portland loo is reportedly the "brainchild" of a former portland commissioner randy leonard, who obtained a design patent on the stainless steel design in 2008. when the city of portland commissioned the design of the toilet, it retained the intellectual property rights to the design, and would receive a royalty from the manufacturer, for each unit it sold. press reports described this arrangement as a source of funds, for the city. in august 2013, the municipal corporation city of portland sued a roseburg, oregon manufacturer romtec that has been manufacturing a similar product for infringement. a settlement was reached to end the infringement lawsuit. the terms allow romtec to continue to make and sell their sidewalk restroom for 25 years, but subject to a royalty payment at the rate of 8% of selling price payable to the city of portland. in 2014, a citizen group sued the city, asserting the city had spent over $600,000 to promote the loos, without proper authorization. the city of portland had exited its role in sales and marketing of the portland loo. it has leased the rights to use and market the design to madden for 25 years in exchange for 8% royalty payment to the city. in november 2019, katu news reports madden said royalty payment of 8% of loo sales turned over to the city government of portland has totaled $362,323.61 since 2014. society and culture in popular culture the loos have been featured in the television show portlandia, and fans seek them out, for photo-ops, when they visit portland. toilets inspired by the portland loo in 2018 vernon, british columbia planned to purchase portland loos, but withdrew after being placed on a waiting list, so had a local firm design a similar system.