Alyssa St.

John
Hannah Cantrell
Anna Ferguson
Melissa Constantinescu
Jack Knutson
Professor Bathelder
Portland FRINQ
2, June 2015
The Impact of Community Engagement

In 1993, Portland became the first U.S. city to publish a climate

action plan. An important event that led up to the climate action plan
was Oregons Bottle Bill, which was introduced in 1971. According to
figure 1, Oregons Bottle Bill drastically lowered litter from 40% to 6%.
In 1972, there was also a Downtown Plan commissioned by Neil
Goldschmidt, which consisted of three key elements: pedestrian
amenities, land uses, and good access through management of parking
resources and greater reliance

on public transportation. In 1998,

Portland started car sharing and therefore is considered the birthplace

of car sharing in North America. Portland is continuing to prove that it
is a sustainable and green city by being a part of an ongoing Green
Building and Development Program since 2000. This project protects
trees and enhances the urban forest. On the other hand, to make any
real change there must be community engagement in local
communities, businesses and organizations. They all need to partner
together to protect and restore natural areas. By 2030, the climate
action plans objective is to engage diverse partners and sectors of the

community, create shared community vision goals, progress indicators

of a low-carbon future, connect individuals and organization to
education, and celebrate positive changes and successes.
Are Portlands neighborhoods doing their part in community
engagement? Cully, located in Northwest
Portland is a culturally urban
neighborhood with a mix of
commercial and residential
development. There is a strong
Figure 1.

Source: State of Oregon DEQ

sense of community identity, and

active neighborhood involvement

in issues such as effectively addressing crime, traffic control, and

generally improving the quality and livability of the area. Neighbor
involvement and contributions recently helped in making the Rigler
Community Garden a great success. The garden provides a great
community gathering place, with an opportunity for children and adults
to garden, and also helps provide a healthy food source for the
surrounding community. Brooklyn is located in Southeast Portland, and
Brooklyn has a neighborhood organization called The Brooklyn Action
Corps. The Brooklyn Action Corpss purpose is to better the community
by working together toward the solution of its social, physical, and
economic problems. The Board is active in all that affects the greater

good of the Neighborhood. The BAC is responsible for two types of

meetings: Board Meetings and General Membership Meetings.
The way in which a community interacts with its surroundings is
vital for the survival of its area. Most importantly the community must
be active in the sustainability and livability of the environment, or else
it will disintegrate. Portland, Oregon is no stranger to involving its
community in the sustainability of its environment. The city has
multiple organizations like the Bureau of Environmental Services, the
Urban Forestry Commission, and Friends of Trees; to name a few, that
help communities improve sustainability. Without organizations such as
these, it would be impossible to engage the community about
sustainability. They come up with personable and enjoyable ways for
the city to become engaged with its surroundings. Also they are
comprised primarily of local citizens, which make it much easier for the
public to stand behind them.
While not necessarily a group made up of community members,
the Bureau of Environmental Services does a great job in helping the
communitys environment. The Environmental Services protects
public health, water quality and the environment.
(Portlandoregon.gov) This in turn creates a happy, healthy, and
sustainable community for residents to live in. They have made it their
mission to make sure waste-water does not contaminate the
environment. Also they work hard to create clean drinking water for

the citizens of Multnomah County. While they are a government

agency, they are committed to meaningful public involvement as an
essential element of all bureau programs and projects.
(Portlandoregon.gov) They also provide a plethora of opportunities for
citizens to become involved in projects and provide their input on
issues. Not only does the Bureau of Environmental Services praise
public opinion, they also hold open meetings to hear it first hand.
Portland, Oregon continues to show the United States, and the World,
that community engagement with government offices builds trust and
makes progress.
Unlike the Bureau of Environmental Services, the Portland Urban
Forestry Commission is run by citizens concerned with the
sustainability of the city. They are also a group committed to providing
more green space within the city. Not to mention they [act] as an
appeal board for right-of-way street tree permits, [sponsor] the
Heritage Tree Program, and [educate] the community about urban
forestry issues. (Urban Forestry Commission) For example at their
March meeting, they proposed more progress for sustainable
landscapes for residents foremost request is to be able to take a walk
through nature. (Urban Forestry Commission) Since they are not a
government run group, they do have a harder time obtaining the funds
to take on large projects. On the other hand they are more committed
to supporting local citizens, since local volunteers run the organization.

Most importantly though, they understand the necessity of having

green landscape within a metropolitan area. They do not want a lack of
green space to affect the citizens and especially not the climate.
Overall while the Portland Urban Forestry Commission has less
authority than a government agency, their devotion to the community
and the environment make them an essential group in Portland.
If anything were essential to everyday survival, trees would have
to be it. Friends of Trees is an Oregon based group that is committed to
planting trees in Urban and Rural areas. It is currently run in Portland,
Eugene, Vancouver, and participating suburbs of Portland. In addition it
is a community building organization that helps bring people together
to plant new trees and steward those young trees to become a valued
part of our urban canopy. (Friends of Trees) The group tackles issues
such as decaying urban trees, and decides whether they can be nursed
back to health or not. They also provide helpful information for those
wondering if a tree is salvageable or not. Not to mention Friends of
Trees is a great way for citizens to become involved in Portlands urban
forestry in a positive way. It provides the opportunity to have first hand
knowledge and experience in changing the urban landscape here. In
conclusion, Friends of Trees has done an immense amount of work for
Portlands environment and will continue to do so in the future.
What is Portland doing right now? Currently, Portland uses 20%
more renewable energy than the national average and was one of the

first cities to ban plastic bags. According to figure 2 shown below, as

the years have progressed, Portland has shown a continued
commitment to using green power. Portland also has about 250 miles
of bike path, trails, and
lanes, which promotes the
Figure 2. Source: Portland Bureau of Planning and

use of bicycles and walking.

Portland uses 25% of coal
compared to national 42%

and the City of Portland also has a very effective recycling program.
Portlands recycling program alone saves nearly 250,000 tons of CO2
per year. So the question is, has Portland done enough to reverse the
mistakes that have already been done?