Civic
engagement and volunteerism are fundamental Portland
values.
Portlanders take pride in their city and value the
ability to work collaboratively with government to
maintain and enhance the quality of life they treasure.
Many welcome proactive, inventive, forward-thinking people
and policies that put innovative ideas into practice.
Within this section, Portlanders also speak up for
human rights and social justice, and express appreciation
for active community members who work together to
confront issues and influence policy.
Many believe there should be greater access to government
and opportunities for early involvement in decision-making
processes. This would require government representatives
to go to the community and listen to all voices, irrelevant
of their position of power or privilege.
Portlanders envision a future where diverse community
leaders are supported and the planning and development
of neighborhoods is influenced by everyone, rather
than a select few. They believe a good deal of community
knowledge remains untapped and want to see the government
supporting civic engagement initiatives that bring
a variety of perspectives to city projects. Many believe
that young people should have more options for community
service and involvement in decision making so they
develop a stake in the future of Portland.
- Many
people express their sense pride in the city and
a desire to improve it.
- Portlanders
appreciate opportunities for involvement in community
building, government decision-making and neighborhood
issues.
- A number of Portlanders
see activism as a common and necessary practice.
- Portlanders make personal
lifestyle choices as a way of taking action
on civic issues.
- Including the public
in policy and decision-making is important.
- In which direction is
Portland’s trend of high civic engagement heading?
- What should a reformed
neighborhood system look like?
- Many
people express their sense pride in the
city and a desire to improve it.
- Civic engagement and grassroots activism
is often viewed by Portlanders as a necessary
duty.
- Individuals are concerned for their communities,
and want to see them develop into healthier,
more sustainable and equitable living environments.
- A collective sense of ownership helps
keep people invested in and active with
community issues that relate to maintaining
or increasing the quality of life.
- Portlanders have faith that community
members can band together and create change
when necessary.
- People often recognize a part of Portland’s
culture that consists of progressive, proactive
community members who do not hesitate to
confront important issues.
- Government officials should look to constituents
as the experts for what needs to change
in the community.
| “It
is clear that Portland values its people
and that its people value Portland.” |
“We
don't need the city government to
make our community center work-we
want to be left alone to organize
and build the community our way. If
the city wants to help, they should
ask us how to help.” |
| “[I
value] community building and grassroots
activism. It is incredibly important
for people to be involved in their area
and government.” |
- “Every year we have a "Portland
Day" paid day off with local arts, picnics,
union open houses, multicultural performances,
and citizen dialogues about how to make
things better.”
- Portlanders
appreciate opportunities for involvement
in community building, government decision-making
and neighborhood issues.
- The existing Neighborhood Coalition system
provides a venue for residents to engage
in dialogue about addressing neighborhood
issues.
- Many view volunteer opportunities as one
way to instill in individuals a sense of
responsibility for the community.
- People want to see more community service
activities for young people to help find
tangible ways they can contribute to their
neighborhoods and make a difference
in the community.
- Community policing efforts contribute
to neighborhood safety and help build a
sense of community ownership.
- Local public access stations provide
a much-appreciated venue for community dialogue.
| "Portland
is accessible—physically, socially,
culturally, politically. The fact is,
one can participate actively in the
community on any number of levels, and
indeed is actively invited to do so.
Political leaders, for the most part,
aren’t grudging about inviting citizens
into the public policy dialogue and
process and seem to try to take advantage
of the knowledge, skills and interests
of the citizenry. That kind of partnership
is rare, and can easily fall apart if
not attended to constantly. Portland
civic leaders appear to get that, even
if it seems messy and cumbersome at
times; the reward for having the patience
to slog through these public processes
is tremendous.” |
| “.Please
continue to actively solicit input from
the citizens who live here and please
take seriously concerns and ideas that
we may have regarding our neighborhoods
and growth. Please really "walk the
walk' and let us all work together in
co-creating the greatest city on the
planet. Please don't blow a bunch of
smoke up our 'alleys.' It would break
my heart if we are being encouraged
to get involved and then the future
of this city is directed only by those
who have a financial interest.” |
- A
number of Portlanders see activism as a
common and necessary practice.
- People are not afraid to speak up for
their rights and other’s rights on issues
that impact the community.
- Some deem it necessary to question authority
and people in positions of power.
- People have appreciation for City efforts
such as when City Council opposed joining
the FBI anti-terrorist task force and the
strong local anti-war focus.
- Portlanders express their appreciation
for the many opportunities that encourage
individuals to be active and involved in
issues that have an impact on the local,
state, national and international level.
| "I
would like to see more activism against
the eroding of our civil rights. I don't
think the government should keep tabs
on what books we check out from the
library or our telephone calls." |
| “Allow
activism to help define class based
issues.” |
| “Increase
community activism from all sectors.”
|
| “[Portland’s
future needs to include] true activism,
not purely activism as a social event.
People that understand what it will
really take to turn things around.” |
- Portlanders
make personal lifestyle choices as a way
of taking action on civic issues.
- Some Portlanders view civic engagement
as occuring on an individual level through personal
lifestyle choices rooted in shared values.
Such choices inclue:
- Choosing to homeschool children.;
- Being able to choose alternative health
care options, such as midwifery;
- Incorporating sustainable practices
- Bicycling and using public transportation;
- Use of alternative energy sources; and
- Buying local organic foods.
- Others engage civicly through membership
in groups with similar values or through
organizing around specific issues.
| “…A
strong sense of place. We love this
place and what we decide here matters
a lot for our present and for future
generations. This translates to a high
level of civic involvement. Knowing
neighbors and making individual decisions
based on community values.” |
- Including
the public in policy and decision-making
is important.
- The city of Portland is seen as having
a history of thoughtful city planning, based
on deeply rooted community values, and having
been influenced by the public.
- There is support for leadership that respects
public participation and civic engagement
throughout planning processes, and early
on, while decisions can still be influenced.
- People want to see more opportunities
to influence policy directions from a more
diverse audience, particularly underrepresented
communities such as:
- Ethnic minorities;
- Youth;
- People with disabilities;
- Elders; and
- People with low-incomes.
- Government and institutions need to alleviate
barriers to civic engagement (for example,
by providing childcare during public events).
- Electeds should spend more time connecting
with people by going out into the community.
- Although neighborhood associations are
effective for some people, many others would
like associations to work on a broader range
of issues affecting neighborhoods such as
homelessness, gang activity and drug abuse.
- Public involvement is irrelevant
unless there is consistent follow-through
and implement ion of ideas that the public
has shared with government.
- People want to ensure that diverse residents
increasingly become involved in decision-making
rather than only those with political or
financial influence.
| "Involve
people of all economic levels to participate
in the city's planning, have child care
subsidies for families that can't afford
quality childcare, Childcare should
not be a privilege for the middle class.
Have people that have been homeless
with differing abilities participate
on committees." |
| “I
would like to see an even greater shift
in emphasis away from private and towards
public. This includes in governance.
We should always strive towards direct
democracy and a great involvement for
citizens of Portland in the process
that goes far beyond voting on a narrow
range of issues decided on ahead of
time by those in power. Direct participation
in the decision making structure needs
to be even more easily accessible to
all residents of Portland, and actions
such as protests and boycotts should
continue to be encouraged.” |
| “Change
'us' and 'them' attitude between community
and government. The community should
work to resolve problems rather than
expecting the government to do everything.” |
- Make City Council sessions more accommodating,
and scheduled for the evenings more often.
- “Right now, I wish Portland would hold
citywide forum on the questions this visioning
process raises. Have people from each neighborhood
association, government agencies, and non-profits
get together face-to-face to talk about
how to get Portlander's visions from the
page/screen to the streets.”
- “I'd like decision-makers to involve the
public earlier and in ways that are meaningful,
not just perfunctory.”
- “There would be a very large cultural
center for everyone to use at a nominal
fee.”
- Adapt the neighborhood association and
coalition system to allow for a wider variety
of views and opinions to be heard.
|
- In
which direction is Portland’s trend of high civic
engagement heading?
Some people who have lived in Portland for many
years express concern over what they view as decreasing
community involvement. They believe there is less
neighbor-to-neighbor interaction or visible concern
for the welfare of the community. Some also believe
that there is more reliance on social services and
the government to solve community problems.
But then, there is another large group of respondents
convinced that Portland is unique in its rich
civic engagement practices and the amount of people
that find ways to be involved. Such people express
their appreciation for the breadth of civic involvement
opportunities available, and the extent to which
residents participate in decision-making.
But then again, many people have mixed opinions
about the historical significance of the neighborhood
system known for involving residents in city planning.
There is a growing sense that something needs
to shift within the structures of public involvement
to allow for newcomers to Portland and the growing
diversity to be represented in decision-making
across the city.
- What
should a reformed neighborhood system look like?
The role of neighborhood associations and their
City-sanctioned system stirred the most disagreement
in this section. There are two major groups of respondents
that have opposing ideas for the future role of
neighborhood associations and coalitions.
One group of Portlanders believes that neighborhood
associations provide much-needed outlets for civic
engagement and address important issues at the
"street level." This group values that the system
has a history of being unique to Portland, and
they link it to the city’s high rate of public
involvement.
Another group is very critical of the neighborhood
system and view neighborhood associations as comprised
mostly of homeowners and business. They believe
the system fails to significantly involve
people of color, renters, immigrants and refugees,
youth and other diverse communities. People have
conflicting ideas for how to solve this problem,
including strengthening and increasing funding
for the neighborhood system, providing equal funding
to identity-based or non-geographic based grous
or disbanding the system and creating a new mechanism
that advocates for all residents of neighborhoods.
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