Portland Central City Task Force

 SEE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS HERE 

“Portland is so much more than just a city. Its uniqueness, culture, and spirit are vital not just to those who call the City home, but to the entire state, acting as an economic engine for all of Oregon.”

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to remote and hybrid work has disrupted the Central City’s key role as a place to work, live, and recreate. In addition to adjusting to the effects of the work-from-home phenomenon, Portland – like all other major cities on the West Coast – is responding to inter-related homelessness, housing affordability, and behavioral health crises. The decline in visitor and employee foot traffic has weakened economic activity and vibrancy across the area’s ten neighborhoods – from the Lloyd District to Goose Hollow and Lower Albina to the South Waterfront. ECOnorthwest, a public policy firm headquartered in Portland, briefed Task Force and committee members on the challenges facing Portland’s Central City. See the full details  here .

By addressing these issues through strategic and coordinated interventions, we can preserve cherished neighborhoods and accelerate the ongoing economic recovery. This proactive approach will ensure that our Central City’s unique charm and appeal to residents and businesses will not only endure but thrive, serving as a vibrant gateway to the region and the state.

The Portland Central City Task Force was a forum for elected, business, education, cultural, and community leaders to agree on steps to revitalize Central City Portland in a post-pandemic world. The Co-chairs, Governor Tina Kotek and Standard Insurance Company CEO Dan McMillan, charged the Task Force to articulate a compelling, actionable vision and develop a set of near-term, achievable strategies to revitalize the economic future and well-being of Portland’s Central City—from Lower Albina to the South Waterfront and from Goose Hollow to the Lloyd District, and everything in between.

By bringing together a diverse group of federal, state, and local government leaders, in partnership with private and non-profit stakeholders, the Task Force drew upon a wide range of perspectives and expertise to develop concrete recommendations. These measures will address the needs and aspirations of our diverse communities and businesses and can be modeled in other communities facing similar challenges across the state. The challenges that Portland faces are not unique among metro areas around the country, but what will set us apart is our ability to work together to overcome them.

Click  here  to see the Task Force's website which includes a list of all Task Force members, committees and their charges, and a map of the project area.

This Task Force did not convene to reflect on the past. Instead, it focused on the goals and vision for the economic future of Portland’s Central City.

The objective: make a plan to move Portland forward with urgency and clear deliverables that Oregonians can understand, feel, and see with their own eyes.

This requires action, private-public partnerships, policy changes, and commitments at the city, county, state, and federal level. The co-chairs organized the work in the following five working committees and issued charges to each one.

Each of the committees met three to four times during July–November 2023 and benefited from rich community input. More than 9,000 people responded to the Task Force’s online survey, and nearly 300 Portlanders participated in one of 24 listening sessions that focused on Central City neighborhoods and key topic areas.

Click this  link  to view the full findings of the Portland Central City Task Force Survey.

Drawing upon the feedback from the listening sessions, the Value Proposition Committee developed the following vision statement for the Central City.

“Our city, like metro areas across the country, has changed dramatically in a short period of time, and it’s time to take the wheel back. History will not define these years by our challenges, but how we overcome them, together.”

The Co-chairs charged the Value Proposition Committee with advancing a compelling vision for the Central City that includes diverse voices. As a first order of business, the committee dubbed itself the “Optimism Committee”—and for good reason. Portland has a rich set of assets to work with. Few other cities have worked as hard to complement such a stunning natural setting. City blocks are short, walkable, and human-scale. Trees and green spaces are abundant. Views of the Cascades are protected. Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Eastbank Esplanade draw people to the river. And how many other central cities can boast salmon and bald eagles?

This special place could serve many purposes well. The pandemic upended a past generation’s vision of a heavily worker-focused center. The Optimism Committee sought to accelerate a vision for a new generation. The visioning work drew heavily on insights from 24 listening sessions organized by neighborhoods and key topical areas like housing, arts and entertainment, education, and the future of office work. In each session, participants were asked what success would look like in 2024 and at the decade’s end.

From the outset, the co-chairs emphasized that the Task Force should be relentlessly action-oriented and should elevate all good work happening in the Central City. Here are some highlights of public and private actions, by the Task Force and the community at large, from the second half of 2023.

“This isn’t a government problem and it’s not a business problem. It’s an all-of-us problem and we’re committed to implementing these solutions together.”

Portland—like its neighboring West Coast cities—has been hit by epidemics of fentanyl and rising crime, which have presented challenges across elected leaders, business leaders, and advocates. Since 2020, the national media has repeatedly pointed to Portland to illustrate the range and severity of challenges facing cities in the COVID era. Now is the time to change the narrative through a series of focused, well-executed actions that accelerate aid to those suffering on our streets, rally volunteers to a common cause, hold individuals perpetrating crime accountable, launch an era of equitable housing development, and rebuild towards a shared vision of what our Central City can be. 

But we know that storytelling is not enough. Portlanders need to see improvement to believe it. Here are some of the immediate and long-term actions identified by the Task Force that will shape its comeback.

“Create a culture of yes! Cut the fees and red tape for private sector and non-profit initiatives and programming in public space.”

The Task Force convened civic leaders, elected officials, and business leaders to tackle our Central City’s most urgent challenges. The power of this group was to elevate solutions-oriented discussions that will lead to action. Those same leaders will carry this work forward and new voices will continue to join. The Task Force and its leadership are committed to ensuring effective implementation.

The Task Force convened listening sessions in key Central City neighborhoods. The following statements summarize the visions developed in those meetings.

Click through the map below to see the statement for these areas of Portland's Central City.

Governor Tina Kotek, State of Oregon, Central City Task Force Co-Chair

Dan McMillan, The Standard, Central City Task Force Co-Chair

This effort took the collaboration of over a hundred dedicated community leaders committed to revitalizing Portland's Central City. So many that they couldn't fit in one list. Click below on the arrows to the left and right to navigate between the slides and see the full list of Task Force Members, Committee Members, Listening Session Conveners, Project Sponsors, and the Project Team.

• Data presentation. All Task Force and Committee members were invited to a webinar to learn about Portland Central City’s conditions and challenges. Data and findings included in this presentation were used as a foundation for all committees. See the  Portland Central City data presentation here. 
• Portland Central City Task Force Survey results. Over 9,000 individuals responded to a survey asking respondents about their top priorities, favorite amenities, as well as their ideas about solutions to revitalize Central City. See the  Portland Central City survey results 
• Value Proposition Committee Report and Full Recommendations See the  final document. 
• Livable Neighborhoods Committee Report and Full Recommendations See the  final document. 
• Community Safety Committee Report and Full Recommendations See the  final document. 
• Housing and Homelessness Committee Report and Full Recommendations See the  final document. 
• Taxes for Services Committee Report and Full Recommendations See the  final document. 

Visit our  project website  for everyday actions and bigger lifts such as sponsorship opportunities for individuals and businesses.

Do you want to stay informed with this work?  Contact us !