We know why you moved here. We know why you never left. We know because you tell us all the time–and we agree with you!
I feel like I live in a park. I have access to the arts and culture of a big city, but I still get that small-town vibe. I can ride my bike most of the time. The local food is incredible. I can be in the mountains or on the coast in 90 minutes.
We love it too, and when we think about how Portland came to be like this, we love it even more.
We are beneficiaries of hard work and tough negotiations that happened through the 1960s and 70s in our communities and the state legislature. Oregon Senate Bill 100 (SB100) is a landmark piece of legislation that established our state's unique perspective on land use planning that would serve residents and industry while preserving not only the natural resources but also our environment. The legislation includes 19 specific goals (14 original, plus a few amendments) for land-use in all of Oregon.
Whether you remember Oregon's land-use goals from your childhood or this is the first time you've heard of them, we encourage you to read them now. Oregon's land-use planning goals are not designed to maintain a specific look and feel in our cities, neighborhoods, or even agricultural areas. The fundamental aim is to ensure that lands are designated and preserved for various uses–living, recreating, commerce, agriculture, open space–based on factual data and the predicted needs of communities statewide.
The current moment is showing us, in no uncertain terms, that democracy is a living, breathing system that becomes vulnerable without regular nourishment and development. We believe that understanding our history–how we got to where we're standing today and we did harm along the way–is critical if we want to evolve as a community. As a result, In the coming weeks, we are going to share information and resources to learn about a few powerful bills that created the framework for the Portland (and Oregon) that we love.
We believe in all residents having access to the best of what Portland has to offer, and the goals set by our legislators, with input from organizations throughout the state, are still viable navigational guides to achieving that. Just like the current moment is asking us to change our ways, SB 100 and more inclusive and equitable urban planning will ask us to amend our expectations of our city and our neighborhoods.
The roadmap for a stronger, more equitable Portland not only exists, but it also lives within our State laws. Now it's time for us to step up and navigate our way through that map.
Image credit: Oregon Historical Society