Portland Plan community involvement has never been more fun than Summer 2010. Summer outreach revolved around the “Portlanders Plan Portland - Strategy Building Exercise" or what we fondly refer to as “The Game.” Between May and August, 401 Portlanders played the game at 31 street fairs, home buying fairs and festivals, including:

• Sunday Parkways
• Latino, Native American and Asian & Pacific Islander home buying fairs
• Pride Northwest Festival
• Good in the Neighborhood
• Mississippi, Division/Clinton and Multnomah Days street fairs

Check out this video documenting the summer experience.

We’re using these Big Ideas – along with the comments from Phase One and Phase Two, technical research and staff work – to prepare draft strategies for community consideration during the Phase Three workshops starting in February 2011.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for more videos of Portlanders’ Big Ideas, which we’ll be posting in the coming weeks.

BPS recently launched Be Resourceful, a thoughtful consumption campaign designed to inspire Portlanders to get more of the good stuff in their lives.  
 
Local residents are already finding creative ways to get what they need while spending their limited time, money and energy on what matters most: enjoying healthier, more satisfying lifestyles and building strong relationships. Be Resourceful highlights the new opportunities and experiences you can create when you choose local resources to borrow, share and repair the things you need, and choose to buy for value, durability and utility. Thoughtful consumption allows us to look at everyday choices and purchases that reflect our values and to consider the upstream costs of goods and services.
 
The campaign kicks off with a focus on actions related to the being resourceful in the kitchen and will be promoted through an interactive game and resources at community events. There is also be an opportunity for Portland residents to share their own stories of resourcefulness at events and online.
 

Follow the Be Resourceful campaign here: http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/beresourceful.

On July 27, 2010 the Planning Commission voted to approve the Citywide Tree Project staff recommendations and develop a revised draft proposal for public review and City Council consideration this fall.  The Urban Forestry Commission also approved the staff recommendations on July 29.

The recommendations, including revisions to the February 10, 2010 draft proposal are posted on the Citywide Tree Project at www.portlandonline.com/bps/treeproject. Revisions to the earlier draft are intended to address comments raised in public testimony submitted from March through June, and initial direction from both commissions during work sessions in April, May and June. Written testimony is also available on the project website.

The revisions clarify, simplify and reduce the costs of the initial proposal, and strike a clearer balance between the City's urban forestry and development goals. The revised proposal continues to include customer service improvements and contains a more streamlined tree permit proposal for homeowners. The proposal is expected to generate significant additional tree canopy through improved tree preservation, planting and protection during construction.

The commissions also  endorsed a phased project implementation strategy, starting with customer service improvements in FY 2011-12 (single point of contact, 24-hour tree hotline, community tree manual), followed by implementation of code changes in FY 2012-13. Most ongoing implementation costs would be covered through incremental changes in building permit and land use review fees. Phased project implementation will provide time for public outreach and, we hope, adequate economic and City budget recovery before revised codes go into effect.

The City of Portland, Energy Trust of Oregon, Solar Oregon and Oregon Department of Energy are partnering to create a statewide campaign to deliver the Solar Now! education and outreach model to other communities around the State of Oregon. The objective is to encourage local municipalities and community leaders throughout the state to learn from and join the Solar Now! network.

Solar Now! University is a small conference that will provide solar champions from around the state the technical education and background on the benefits of solar energy. They will leave with the necessary tools for coordinating a solar educational and outreach program in their communities.

The conference will be held in Pendleton, Oregon from September 30 to October 2, bringing together representatives from communities in eastern and northern Oregon to learn from experts in the field of solar energy. While this event is open to the public, attendees are encouraged to have strong ties to their local municipalities and existing outreach networks. Previous renewable or solar energy experience and/or ties to local public institutions is encouraged.

Conference topics:
•    Solar Technology Basics
•    Community Outreach Strategies
•    Tax Credits, Incentives & Grants
•    Web Resources
•    Financing Options
•    Permitting and Codes

Solar Now! University offers an opportunity for communities to learn how to advance solar energy across Oregon. Please contact Claire@solaroregon.org with questions or an e-mail notification request for this event or next year’s Solar Now! University for western and southern Oregon.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is launching Central City 2035 (CC2035) as an update to the 1988 Central City Plan, which is the existing plan and policy for downtown and central areas of Portland. CC2035 will address issues and changes in the Central City to ensure that this unique economic, transportation, cultural and educational hub will be a vibrant resource for all Portlanders over the next 25 years. As part of CC 2035, the City is also updating the Central City Transportation Management Plan and the Central City’s transportation system plan.  BPS will also complete the River Plan / Central Reach for the land along the Willamette River and integrate it with CC2035.  The River Plan is an update of the 1988 Willamette Greenway Plan.

The Central City is the center of Portland’s economy, arts and cultural activities, retail, entertainment, tourism, higher education, urban living, and the multi-modal transportation network for the region. The Central City is also the historic core of the region nestled in a beautiful natural setting. However, it faces numerous challenges and opportunities not present when the last overall plans and policies were adopted more than 25 years ago.

CC2035 will be a plan created with community, government and other partners. It will guide public and private investment, and land use and development decisions for the Central City over the next two decades. The CC2035 team will ensure that their work synchronizes with that of the Portland Plan so the plan reflects and supports the developing policies of the Portland Plan.

CC2035 was initiated with a series of background reports available at www.portlandonline.com/bps/cc2035. The reports include "Central City 2035: Introduction and Central City 2035 Subdistrict Profiles." Within the next few months the Design Central City document will be ready for review as well.

CC2035 will be guided by a project Advisory Group comprised of 18 members representing the diverse interests and perspectives of the Central City. They are in the preliminary stages of developing a draft policy framework. Meeting announcements, agendas, minutes and a member roster can be found on the project website.

You can use the website to view project updates and other project-related background materials and request to be placed on our mailing and e-mail lists. All interested parties are invited and encouraged to participate in the CC2035 process by attending meetings, open houses and other events, which will be posted on the website as well.

For more information or questions, please contact Steve Iwata, CC2035 project manager, at 503-823-9904 or via e-mail at steve.iwata@portlandoregon.gov. Send general email questions to CC2035@portlandoregon.gov.

Central City N/NE Quadrant planning to begin in September
In addition to updating the policy framework and concept plan for the Central City, CC2035 will include more detailed planning and implementation efforts for smaller geographic areas; specifically, each of the four quadrants of the Central City. The first quadrant plan — for the Central North/Northeast quadrant — will launch in September 2010. It includes Lower Albina, the Rose Quarter and the Lloyd District.

The City of Portland and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will collaborate on this planning effort to integrate land use and urban design with freeway planning and improvements for the I-5 corridor within the N/NE portion of the Central City. The plan will examine a range of land use, urban design, transportation and economic development issues.  It will include  recommendations for new projects and policies to guide future public and private investment and development in Lower Albina and the Lloyd District.

How to get involved with Central City N/NE Quadrant

A Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) with representation from a variety of stakeholders and community interests is being formed to assist with the development of the Central N/NE Quadrant and I-5 Broadway/Weidler Plans. The first SAC meeting will be held on September 16, 2010, and is open to the public.

Two “at-large” positions are currently open on the SAC, and interested Portlanders are invited to apply. The project team will also host a series of community walks in September and a public workshop later in the fall. Formore information and/or to apply for a position on the SAC, visit www.portlandonline/bps/cc2035/neq or contact Karl Lisle, N/NE Quadrant project manager, at 503-823-4286.

Electric vehicles are expected to arrive in Portland in just a few short months and Mayor Adams has gotten the wheels turning on making Portland a leading electric vehicle (EV) city in the United States.

To help make that vision a reality, the Mayor's office and Portland Development Commission regularly convene an Electric Vehicle Working Group, including representatives from the City’s Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), Bureau of Development Services (BDS), and CityFleet.

The working group will track developments in the electric vehicle industry and planning around charging station deployment.  Understanding of the industry will assist  the working group to identify ways to successfully position Portland as an early adopter market and to seamlessly integrate electric vehicles into our city.  

The result of much of this work is contained in an electric vehicle strategy report recently adopted by Portland’s City Council entitled "Electric Vehicles: The Portland Way."  Portland’s strategy reflects that electric vehicle adoption is as much about meeting Portland's sustainability goals and addressing anticipated transportation issues, as it is about economic development.  Adoption of this strategy lays the foundation of good public policy as a key step toward economic development in this area. 

An exciting effort called The EV Project will install a network of over 1,000 publicly accessible charging stations in Oregon at no or low cost to the property owner.  The EV Project will provide a free home or fleet-based charger to about 900 Oregon drivers of the Nissan LEAF zero-emissions electric car who qualify.  The program will cover installation costs.  

Government entities, utilities and organizations interested in participating can visit www.TheEVProject.com and sign up to receive regular updates. If you wish to host a publicly available electric vehicle charging site in the Portland area, please contact David Mayfield at dmayfield@etecevs.com or call (503) 919-0304.

On July 27, 2010, more than 100 leaders of local arts and culture organizations, along with interested community members, attended the Portland Plan Arts Town Hall at The Armory in the Pearl. Originally requested by members of the arts community, this event was hosted by Portland Center Stage in the lobby of the Gerding Theater.

Participants were treated to a musical performance by SERA architect and Nepali musician Gauri Shanker Rajbaidya and heard an update on the Portland Plan from Chief Planner Joe Zehnder. Most of the evening was spent in small group discussions focused on refining the arts-related objectives in the Portland Plan. The event concluded with a presentation by the Jessica Jarratt of the Creative Advocacy Network, with an update on their tri-county investment plan for a proposed new $15-$20 million dedicated arts fund. A “featured artist” display profiled the work of Adam Kuby, creator of the Portland Acupuncture Project.

The Office of Mayor Sam Adams, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Creative Advocacy Network, Portland Center Stage and Colored Pencils co-sponsored the town hall.

Read more about the arts, innovation and the Portland Plan here.

The BPS Youth Planning Program, along with the Midland Teen Council, held a Portland Plan Ice Cream Party at the Midland Library in late June. Fifty youth turned out to engage in conversation about the Portland Plan and enjoy some ice cream.

This event was a reward to the Midland Teen Council, who took part in the Portland Plan Youth Bomb survey collection contest, along with five Portland area library teen councils. The Midland Teen Council collected 321 surveys. Youth Planners Sumitra Chhetri, Mustafa Farah, Morgan Polk, Jared Freiermuth and Khalid Osman gave the Portland Plan overview, facilitated small group discussions on housing and transportation, and introduced the Portland Plan game.

Participants raised the following key concerns during the small group discussions: transit on 122nd Avenue; affordable housing; sense of security; and community gathering spaces. While playing the Portland Plan game, a few notable remarks were overheard:

 “We need improvements so we can live up to 70 years old.” (Comment related to the Portland Plan Action Direction – Protect Portlanders from exposure to toxics and pollutants.)
•    “Cultivate streets as places, because streets are dangerous.”
•    “Reinforce police to keep things like tagging in the community and robbery away.”
•    “Want everything accessibility [sic] within 20-minutes in my neighborhood, which would make things convenient.”
•    “More swimming pools and somewhere to go hiking.”
•    “More grass, more trees and less pollution.”

 “The ice cream summit was a fun way for youth to express concerns about city policies,” concluded Youth Planner Sumitra Chhetri.  

See the related story about the Youth Planning program elsewhere in this issue.

Over 300 residents from Portland’s Cully neighborhood gathered at Rigler School in early August to learn about the “Changing the Climate in Cully” initiative. As part of the Clean Energy Works Portland (CEWP) residential weatherization retrofit program, homeowners who choose to participate in the Cully neighborhood project will improve the comfort and value of their homes, save energy and create family-supporting jobs in the community.

Sponsored by Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good (MACG) and a coalition of other community partners, the event — which also featured free ice cream, music, games and family entertainment — marked the kick-off of the neighborhood-led initiative. Homeowners in attendance learned more about home weatherization and many signed up on-the-spot for an energy audit assessment. Through outreach and volunteer activities such as door-knocking and house parties, MACG’s “Changing the Climate in Cully” effort will retrofit 100 Cully homes by the end of the year.

"Portland is known for our dynamic and livable neighborhoods. Thanks to the organizing efforts of groups like MACG, homeowners in neighborhoods like Cully, Lents and Interstate are getting involved and taking advantage of programs like Clean Energy Works Portland,” said Mayor Sam Adams. “This program helps homeowners reduce their energy use and costs, puts Portlanders to work at clean-tech jobs, and helps our city meet our climate action goal of reducing carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. This kind of grassroots activism exemplifies the best spirit of Portland."

To begin with, the program will create 17 new jobs, while sustaining another 16. In order to provide the highest quality work for Cully customers while ensuring the most valuable job creation, six small local construction contractors and workers from LIUNA (Laborers International Union of North America) have teamed up to perform the weatherization retrofit work. This guarantees living wage jobs and healthcare benefits for all workers employed on the project. With a new breakthrough weatherization training program, LIUNA is providing training and credentials in highly skilled jobs as weatherization installers and supervisors. In addition, subcontractors representing three trade union locals (Sheet Metal Workers Local 16, Electrical Workers Local 48 and Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 290) will be performing specialty work on the project.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability a $20 million “Retrofit Ramp-Up” award to weatherize thousands of homes and commercial buildings statewide through an expansion of the pilot program Clean Energy Works Portland. “Changing the Climate in Cully” is part of that larger CEWP Program, which has already retrofitted 158 homes in other neighborhoods and has another 228 homes in progress.

In the coming weeks, MACG’s Cully neighborhood volunteers will talk to their neighbors about the project, organizing house parties and community events to bring Cully residents together around this exciting opportunity. Outreach activities will wind down at the end of September, with the 100 home retrofit goal to be reached by December 2010.

For more information please visit: http://macg.org/ and http://www.cleanenergyworksportland.org/community.php

This summer we’ve been asking Portlanders: What’s your big idea? Through an interactive game using hexagonal shapes representing the 32 proposed directions for the Portland Plan, the public can choose their most important priorities and build a "mini-strategy” around them that charts a path for Portland’s future.

Staff is taking the Portland Plan “game” out to 35 street fairs and summertime events and over 40 hosted presentations to share the plan and get Portlanders’ big ideas. Each mini-strategy is documented on paper and photographed, and some participants have been willing to share their thoughts. See the video here.

Attending street fairs around town has been a great way to get the word out about the Portland Plan. The game is helping people understand how the plan will be composed of strategic efforts bundled together in the most effective, cost efficient and impactful clusters — or big ideas.

We’re also sharing the game at other venues and with targeted groups. BPS youth interns are playing an especially significant role in this effort, staffing the street fairs and reaching out to their peers:

> Youth interns and staff spoke with students from Self Enhancement Inc (SEI) in four different classes. They presented an overview of the Portland Plan and played the game. SEI takes the best and the brightest from N/NE Portland for this “leadership forum.”

> Youth presented at the Margaret Carter Skill Center, working with adult students (some of whom come from correctional institutions) who are learning new job skills.

> The interns also helped staff with outreach for the 122nd Ave. Pilot Study project in East Portland, surveying residents and businesses about their needs and concerns.

Visit www.pdxplan.com for more on the Portland Plan game in action.

Where in the world will you find 21 green home remodels and new homes that invite you inside? At the 9th annual Build It Green! Home Tour on Saturday, September 25. This year’s tour highlights affordable housing, the Passive House Standard (a super-insulated house) and more small-footprint homes than ever before, all in the Portland metropolitan area.

This inspiring event is the only tour to feature Portland’s first permitted straw bale house, innovative affordable housing, a 200 square foot backyard home (accessory dwelling unit), a timber frame home, verdant ecoroofs, an 1884 historic renovation and diverse owner -designed and -built projects for every budget.

Many of the homes include solar panels, ecoroofs, rainwater harvesting, natural landscaping, water and energy conservation, reused building materials, alternative construction techniques and much more. Homeowners and contractors will be available to share their personal experiences and answer questions.

All the facts: Build It Green! Home Tour and Information Fair 2010

•    Presented by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
•    Also sponsored by Metro, Energy Trust of Oregon, Solar Oregon, Oregon Home magazine, and City of Portland Bureaus of Environmental Services, Development Services and Water.
•    Saturday, September 25, 2010
•    Tour the homes from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
•    Twenty tour stops throughout the Portland metro area
•    Information Fair: A fun, FREE, family-friendly information fair will follow, with green vendors, demonstrations, food, drink and music. From 3 p.m. -7 p.m. Hosted by Ecohaus, 819 SE Taylor St, Portland
•    Tickets: $15 adults; $10 car-free/students/honored citizens; FREE for children under 14
•    Tickets available beginning August 13, 2010 at Ecohaus (819 SE Taylor St. in Portland, 503.222.3881).

•    Purchase tickets online beginning August 16, 2010.

For more info: visit www.portlandonline.com/bps/builditgreen, e-mail greenhotline@portlandoregon.gov, or call 503-823-5431.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is lucky to have a team of Youth Planners, who work to involve Portland’s youth in the Portland Plan process. The Youth Planning Program was initiated in 2007. Youth Planners reach out to Portland youth who consider themselves unheard — or just don't know how to be heard as they advocate on behalf of youth around Portland. The Youth Planners show their peers how to get involved and how to translate the words of city government into language they can understand.

The Portland Plan is the City’s 25-year strategic plan, so who better to consult than the people who will be adults in 2035? Youth provide a fresh perspective, and given that 45 percent of K-12 students in Portland are people of color, they can help us understand and plan for Portland’s changing demographic.

Just recently the Youth Planners hosted Portland Plan workshops at Midland Library, EcoTrust Natural Capital Center, Portland Community College and even near P.S.U . The Youth Planners partnered with the Library Teen Councils to help distribute the Youth Bomb Surveys and provide opportunities for youth voice to be heard. With the help of the teen councils, Youth Planners collected over 800 Youth Bomb Surveys (which is only a small fraction of the youth in Portland).

The Youth Bomb Survey asked questions about arts, education, neighborhoods and housing, employment opportunities, and parks. Survey results emphasized the importance of community events, arts education, job and skill development, and housing choices/affordability. The Youth Planners awarded Midland Library Teen Council an ice cream party for collecting the most surveys.

Our Bill of Rights: Children and Youth and the Youth Engagement Manual

One of the first projects for the Youth Planning Program was the creation of “Our Bill of Rights: Children + Youth.” The document was passed by Portland’s City Council in August 2006, guaranteeing all youth the right to be involved in decisions that affect their lives. To advance Council’s directive, the Youth Planners recently unveiled the Youth Engagement Manual to assist local government with the integration of youth engagement, empowerment and voice into the City’s work.

To create the Youth Engagement Manual, the Youth Planners spent months interviewing youth organizers, adult community organizers who work with youth, Portland and Multnomah County government employees, elected officials and business people. With distribution assistance from Portland Parks and Recreation and the Multnomah County Library Teen Councils, Youth Planners surveyed more than 100 youth to see where and how they would like to engage in local government. Focus groups and panels were aimed at engaging youth in local government, and ensured that local government knows how to support those youth when they do express interest in increased involvement.

The Youth Planners also held in-depth discussions with members of the Multnomah Youth Commission. The Multnomah Youth Commission, the official youth policy body for both Multnomah County and the City of Portland, is a group of young people, ages 13-21, that strives to provide a voice for youth in the County & City’s work. Housed within the Multnomah County Commission on Children, Families & Community and the City of Portland’s Office of the Mayor the MYC works to change policy affecting young people, as well as negative community perception about youth.

Youth Action Grants

Youth Planners, in partnership with Global Citizen Corps, Portland Community College, Mercy Corps, and the Multnomah Youth Commission awarded over $5,000 for community based projects initiated, designed, and run by youth 21 and under. The Youth Action Grants Program provides grants of up to $1,000 to any youth or group of youth in Portland who want to take creative action that makes Our Bill of Rights: Children + Youth a reality! Strong youth-adult partnerships enable communities to build their own Portland and turn community vision into action!

Mayor Sam Adams, Portland Community College President Preston Pulliams, Portland Community College Foundation’s Heidi Wilcox, Multnomah County Commissioner Barbara Willer, PCC Students4Giving Program Instructor Kim Smith, PhD were on hand to award  Portland youth grants to support cultural celebrations, host a battle of the bands, help welcome incoming freshmen, paint a mural, and help create a film.  These projects will involve over 1,000 youth this summer!

More about the Youth Planning Program

All Youth Planners are in their teens and work with an adult Youth Program Coordinator. They have become an integral part of the bureau, and the outreach they have done with their peers and the minority communities has been invaluable. Through their efforts, Portland might one day be known as the City of Youth Voice!

As highlighted in the new Youth Engagement Manual, The Youth Planning Program aspires to:
• have youth considered in every decision that affects them.
• have successful youth programs and advisory groups in every bureau and every part of local government.
• ensure that youth enter City Hall and other government buildings confidently, knowing they will find a receptive ear.
• have strong community youth organizations that have many vocal allies within government.

With the Youth Planning program, Portland’s youth can make a difference in the city's future. Youth and adults can get involved by visiting www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=50268.

When the elementary students at Opal Charter School found out about the Portland Plan last fall, they did what they do best: They started exploring ideas. Through discussions, drawing, modeling and building, they collaborated on the creation of their own community. At the heart of their investigation was the question: What can we do to create a caring neighborhood that is healthy for generations to come?

By the time Mayor Sam Adams came to visit and cut the ribbon to their model community, they had fully realized their vision of a thriving neighborhood complete with tree houses sprinkled throughout the green spaces for music, reading and contemplation; a small urban farm with tiny clay strawberries and flowers; places for people to gather and play, a library, a wild animal park, bike paths and, of course, an ice cream parlor. They even figured out a way to share cars.

That a group of 7- to 9-year-olds could take on the task of making a place with creativity and gusto — intuitively grasping some of the key concepts of urban design and planning and the principles of sustainability — confirms that we can all play a part in planning for our future,  regardless of age. It’s also an affirmation that innovation happens, whether in high-tech incubator labs or on the playground.

As an organization, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability recently reached a milestone in our strategic planning process, slightly reorganizing our 100+ employees to emphasize our capabilities as the City’s planning, research and development branch. And just like Opal School, whose mission is to “provoke fresh ideas [about the] environments where creativity [and] imagination … thrive,” we see our role as an incubator of both innovative ideas and practical solutions to address the challenges and opportunities of our time.

In this issue we’ll feature a handful of  projects that include students and youth and show you how we’re cultivating innovation within our programs and policy development.

Thank you for being a part of that process,

Susan Anderson
Director
City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability

Ever wondered what it's like to be blind or drive an electric wheelchair?

City employees got to experience that earlier this month during at "Roll & Stroll" event sponsored by the City and the community.

Roll & Stroll is an experiential activity for people to try different mobility devices (like wheelchairs and walkers) and simulate blindness with goggles and canes on city streets. Organizers of the Roll & Stroll wanted to raise awareness of some of the challenges many people with disabilities encounter in the right-of-way (sidewalks and streets) and highlight many of the successful design features to accommodate people with disabilities for those involved in projects and programs that involve the public right-of-way.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July, the City of Portland co-planned a number of events, including the Roll & Stroll for City employees on August 3, 2010. Starting in front of City Hall, participants followed a route through downtown and then back to the Lovejoy Conference Room at City Hall for questions and answers.  

Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff involved in urban design or planning/design aspects of pedestrian spaces participated in the Roll & Stroll, as well as those involved in the 20-minute neighborhood strategy of the Portland Plan. Commissioner Amanda Fritz and city staff from several other bureaus were also in attendance.