|
Part of what makes Portland special is the
character of its people.
In this section, respondents state their
deep appreciation for their fellow Portlanders—for their friendliness,
their positive, “can-do” attitude towards addressing community
problems, their individualism, creativity and willingness to put
beliefs into action. They value the extent to which Portlanders care —
about each other, the environment, and the well-being of the city. They
also admire and seek to preserve the progressive, forward-thinking
values and policies that define the community’s political and social
life (see Government:
Policies).
They overwhelmingly agree that the community
should be accepting and open to different lifestyles, groups and ideas.
However, there is significant disagreement over the extent to which
Portlanders demonstrate appreciation for true diversity and difference.
Despite this disagreement, the vast majority of respondents seek to
promote an open, tolerant community life wherein people are valued and
encouraged to share their ideas openly and freely.
- Portland is livable in part because of
its people.
- Portlanders appreciate each other’s
progressive values.
-
Portlanders should strive for greater openness and tolerance.
-
Population growth represents a challenge to “Portland values.”
-
Are Portlanders really open-minded and tolerant of difference?
- Portland
is livable in part because of its people.
- A large number of people mention
their fellow Portlanders when describing what makes the city livable.
- People who move to Portland say
they are attracted by the city’s reputation of innovation, creativity
and progressive people and values. They see these values contributing
to a quality of life that is rare among American cities.
- “Portland values” and “the Portland
way” of being and doing things is frequently associated with the
following:
Friendly:
- Portlanders greet strangers on the
street, are easily approachable and demonstrate a degree of openness
and friendliness that is hard to find in big cities.
| “More
often than not, people—strangers and acquaintances—are friendly to each
other.” |
Easy-Going:
- Portlanders are relaxed, laid
back, take things at a slower pace and are seen as opting out of “the
mainstream rat race.”
- They value and enjoy the “simple
pleasures in life” such as “books, bikes, brew” and good food; this
trait of Portlanders helps lend the city its “small town feel.”
| “Laid
back culture. You can go nice places without a dress code.” |
Quirky and
Unconventional:
- Portlanders are “funkily
functional” non-conformists and individualists who are willing to “do
their own thing,” and pursue strange, weird and original styles and
ways of living.
- They enjoy “Do It Yourself”
projects and reject one-size-fits-all approaches.
| "Keep
Portland local. Keep Portland green. Keep Portland humane. Keep
Portland weird.” |
| “[In
2030, Portland is] PDXcellent: Still weird after all these years.” |
Creative:
- Portlanders pursue many different
forms of artistic expression and create many projects, pieces and
experiences for others to enjoy.
- They have a sense of aesthetics
and support the arts and creativity in the community.
Civic-Minded:
- Portlanders care about their
community and are actively involved in civic life (see Social
Issues: Civic Engagement).
- They attend neighborhood meetings,
organize block parties and tell the City what’s on their mind.
| “People
here care and are involved in their communities.” |
Optimistic:
- Portlanders have a “can do”
attitude and believe they can make a difference in their community.
- They start nonprofits, volunteer
and find creative solutions to community problems. They look to put
their ideals into action.
| “People
see opportunities and make things happen.” |
| “The
way people feel empowered to have an idea for their community and
realize it. From bike commuters to public music to schools to farmers
markets. Portland feels like a ‘yes we can’ place.” |
Open-Minded:
- Many people praise Portlanders for
being open to different kinds of people, ideas and lifestyles (e.g.
“gay friendly,” accepting of “nontraditional lifestyles”).
| “[I
value the] relative openness among Portlanders to experimenting, trying
new actions in politics, the arts, schools, support for libraries. Why?
Why not? Why should I not value the ability to change in an ever
changing world to tolerate, accept difference, new viewpoints?” |
- Portlanders appreciate
each other’s progressive values.
- Many respondents mention how much
they appreciate living in a community that holds progressive values
similar to their own.
- Portlanders value the mainstream
environmental consciousness present among community members and favor a
social/political agenda that incorporates sustainability principles
(see Environment:
Sustainability).
- Portlanders seek to preserve the
progressive, forward-thinking values/policies that they feel define the
community’s political and social life.
| “I
see a community that puts priority on its public services, including
its schools and green space. I see a community that supports and favors
its small, local business sector. I see a community that continues to
be known throughout the country as the city that pushes the envelopes
and raises the standards of political, economic, and social progress.” |
- Portlanders should strive
for greater openness and tolerance.
- Portlanders agree that it is
important to cultivate a social environment in which diverse
perspectives, beliefs and lifestyles are recognized and respected.
- Portlanders also support the
creation of an open, tolerant civic environment, in which people are
encouraged to share their ideas freely, even when they are at odds with
the majority opinion.
| “Tolerance
of diverse perspectives is what I value greatly about Portland,
although I see increasing intolerance and divisiveness.” |
| “[In
2030] Portland is a city where anyone is welcome and respected who
contributes to the economic base and promotes peace and safety." |
| "[In
2030] we are all walking safely on the streets, with a deep background
feeling of family…that we are all in this together and that we
belong…The bounds of what is thought to be ‘normal’ and ‘right’ are
dissolved so people spend less time trying to fit in or ‘fix’ others
and more time giving creative expression to their true natures.” |
- Population growth
represents a challenge to “Portland values.”
- Many Portlanders fear that as the
population grows, the overall social climate in Portland will change.
- Some people are unsure if newcomers
will adopt the “Portland way,” or if they will try to impose their own
values and traits on the city.
- Particular concern is stated over
the in-migration of wealthier residents, who are believed to hold a
different set of values from those that currently predominate in
Portland.
| “We
are also losing our sense of difference as more people move here. The
very attributes that attract many to Portland and the metro areas are
being swamped or simply let go as incomers try to recreate the
communities they were comfortable with back home. How to incorporate
the strengths and diversity of the new while retaining the core values
of the old is an ongoing issue.” |
| “I’d
like to see Portland remain somewhat a ‘secret’…there is a certain type
of money that comes into a place which contributes little culturally,
it mostly consumes…to hide from that.” |
- Educate newcomers
to Portland on what makes Portland unique, so that “Portland values”
are not lost as the population grows.
|
- Are Portlanders really open-minded and
tolerant of difference?
While many respondents in this section
cite with pride Portland’s tolerance for different ideas and
lifestyles, many others feel that Portlanders do not actually
demonstrate an appreciation for true diversity and difference. These
respondents see racism and a lack of diversity in the city as enduring
problems that affect the quality of life for minority residents (for
more, see Social
Issues: Diversity).
Similarly, Portlanders with conservative
views feel excluded and marginalized from the city’s civic and cultural
life. These respondents perceive the liberal claim of valuing an
open/free-thinking environment as hypocritical and meaningless, given
the level of contempt and intolerance often shown towards conservative
views and lifestyles.
The following quotes represent these
conflicting views:
| “I
value the tolerance people have for diverse points of view,
ethnicities, and the healthy social and political debate that occurs
between different city members.” |
| “The
thing I value most about Portland is the social culture of tolerance. I
love living in a city where people are accepted regardless of their
gender, race, religion, nationality, etc… and where open conversations
can happen about our differences.” |
| “I
would like to see more diversity. I feel the negative thing about
Portland is the intolerance of ethnicities other than Caucasian.” |
| “Portland
does not value its diversity in the way that it should. Racism is here,
but many Portlanders do not acknowledge it.” |
| “I
would really like to see people become truly more accepting of all
people…If you have any belief outside of ‘free love, hate Christians,
eat vegetarian,’ you are not acceptable, tolerated, given any dignity,
or even listening time. This is not diversity, it is a change in who is
acceptable, and it is even more narrow minded than the …intolerance of
the ‘30s and ‘40s!” |
 | 
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
