The Portland Loo [1] is neither automated nor millions of dollars. They're $96,000 each, and 16 have been installed, for a total of $1.5 million. So either you'

The Portland Loo [1] is neither automated nor millions of dollars. They're $96,000 each, and 16 have been installed, for a total of $1.5 million. So either you're talking about something else or your information is incorrect. I wouldn't be surprised if they're all shut down now, due to Covid, but prior to that, they've always been open when I tried them. The other public toilets in Portland, that I'm aware of, are in the parks. They're typically in heavy brick buildings. I could see those costing millions in aggregate, but they also seem likely fairly standard "build it to last" park construction. They're not automated either. As relatively large brick buildings, I would expect them to be expensive. Regarding the point of the article—I much prefer toilets in the US to toilets in Europe. I remember trying to find a toilet at a mall in Norway and being out of luck due to not having the appropriate coin in the local currency. That's not something that would happen in the US. (Although, when I finally got in, it was quite nice.) Another pay toilet, at a train station, was worse than disgusting. I don't know who got my coin, but that was the only deposit I made... I couldn't stand to enter the place. In general, I'm much more confident in my ability to find a spot to do my business in the US than in Europe. Maybe because I expect to be able to swan into any coffee shop, gas station, or fast food chain (as you mentioned) and use the facilities. Although I'll admit that the bathrooms in Europe do tend to be nicer, on average, and I particularly appreciate the floor-to-ceiling dividers. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Loo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Loo Edit: Apparently, only 15 Portland Loos have been installed in Portland, and the city has received $362,323 in royalty payments for the design, for a net outlay of just over $1 million.