Downtown to the Waterfront: Rethinking Portland’s urban core as a riverside neighborhood

September 23, 6-7:30 PM : JK Gill, 408 SW 5th

Get tickets to this partner event. ($5-20)

Downtown Portland historically has been a place to work, shop, and attend events. A good place to live? Not so much. 

To truly embrace the new normal of fewer office workers and large-scale retailers, our downtown needs to become more like Portland’s other great neighborhoods: a great place to live and to visit, bring your family, shop a little, play, and just hang out, simply to enjoy yourself. 

Key to this transformation will be a major rethink of downtown's most underwhelming amenity, Waterfront Park. City of Possibility is organizing a series of workshops, talks, and in, December, an interactive exhibit devoted to how the park — and the connections to it — can play a major role in the future of downtown. 

Downtown to the Waterfront will offer a primer with:

• Lora Patiño Lillard, Capital Project Manager, Portland Parks & Rec, on the upcoming national competition to redesign Waterfront Park

• Art Pearce, Deputy Director of Planning, Projects, and Programs, PBOT, on his bureau’s effort to rethink the 40% of downtown in public ownership—the streets.

• Leading urban designers Shannon Simms, Mark Raggett, Charles Kelley, and Tiffany Swift on the results of City of Possibility's “Downtown to the Waterfront” design workshop.

• Christina Fuller, of Fuller Events, who produces the Waterfront Blues Festival, Rose Festival, Portland Pride and other festivals, and arguably has produced more Portland waterfront events than anyone over the last decade.

Co-hosted by Jessica Elkan, James Beard Public Market.

It’s a “lunch and learn” with a twist. Join us in to hear from members who serve and represent communities in each of the four new City districts. Here’s the twist: We’re matching you with lunch dates at small tables (of four or six) to break bread and break the ice.

You’re invited to the 2025 Workplace Change Conference: The Power of Connection, where leaders like you come together to address urgent, societal challenges head-on. We will explore how disconnection is playing out in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and institutions, and more importantly, how we can rebuild connection as a tool for personal, organizational, and regional resilience.

In just one evening, you’ll gain:

• Data-driven insights from DHM Research on the state of connection and trust in today’s workplaces

• Actionable leadership tools for rebuilding trust, fostering harmony, and creating environments where people thrive—both at work and in life

• Practical, tested strategies from executives and changemakers who are successfully turning isolation challenges into workplaces of healing and innovation, especially in hard times

Together, we will reflect on what has been lost as community frays, and what becomes possible when we rebuild connection as a civic and leadership imperative.

Whether you lead a team, influence workplace culture, or are committed to creating better work experiences for all, your participation will help spark meaningful conversation and model what courageous, connected leadership looks like in practice.

The collaboration behind this conference—Workplace Change, NorthStar Civic, and DHM Research—is a testament to the theme itself. When we lead together, we lead stronger.

To attend, please RSVP at wpcconference2025.eventbrite.com with special promo code WPC25 by September 18 to get a 50% discount on tickets. Tickets are limited, so make sure to RSVP today!

Can Portland Reimagine Its Value Proposition for the Arts Sector and Turbo Charge Creative Revitalization? 

Co-created with Subashini Ganesan-Forbes, Chair, Oregon Arts Commission; Creative Laureate of Portland (2018 - 2021); Founder & Director, New Expressive Works; Artistic Director, Natya Leela Academy

Portland has been lauded nationally as one of the most vibrant and authentic creative communities in the country. Major recent investments point to the potential for a transformational moment — From the Portland Art Museum and Keller renovations, to the PSU Portland Performing Arts + Culture Center, new music venues in Lloyd District and the Central East Side, and new investments in organizations like Portland Center Stage. Yet, both artists and creative institutions struggle to gain committed local recognition, including sustained funding and intentional inclusion in planning and visioning work. Join us for a head and heart conversation that will delight your senses and draw on your strategy chops.

*Notably, Metro bucked that trend this summer by including the arts right at the center of their 2050 Visioning project. Bravo!

Waterfront Inspirations from Afar: What Portland Can Learn from Memphis

Save the date!

A talk by, and a conversation, with Carol Coletta, Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow, CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership

Skunkworks Committee Research: Learn and Discuss before Voting on Member Endorsement.

Co-hosted by Duncan Hwang, APANO Community Development Director and Metro Councilor.

It’s a “lunch and learn” with a twist. Join us in to hear from members who serve and represent communities in each of the four new City districts. Here’s the twist: We’re matching you with lunch dates at small tables (of four or six) to break bread and break the ice.

Bull Run Center members are invited to join the Albina Vision Trust for a walking tour of Lower Albina.

The Albina Vision Trust walking tour is a 90-minute opportunity to walk a portion of the District with AVT leaders and get an on-the-ground look at the opportunities and challenges ahead in the restorative redevelopment of Lower Albina.

We will depart from Albina Vision Trust's headquarters at 2156 N Williams.

AVT’s location is well served by transit, they have indoor bike parking if you arrive by bike, and there is typically limited street parking available around the office on N Williams or N Thompson. The tour is not strenuous, but we encourage walking shoes and to dress for the weather.

If you have any questions, or you need to contact AVT on the day of the tour, please contact Beckie Lee at 503-957-7611.

Literary Arts is thrilled to present Timothy Snyder, bestselling author of On Tyranny. Literary Arts’ Executive Director Andrew Proctor will be in conversation with Snyder about his latest work, On Freedom at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

Timothy Snyder has been called “the leading interpreter of our dark times.” As a historian, he has given us startling reinterpretations of political collapse and mass killing. As a public intellectual, he has turned that knowledge toward counsel and prediction, working against authoritarianism here and abroad. His book On Tyranny has inspired millions around the world to fight for freedom. Now, in this tour de force of political philosophy, he helps us see exactly what we’re fighting for.

Tickets at the $95 level include a paperback copy of On Freedom, and a post-event reception with the author.

Buy Tickets Here

How Are Public Safety Decisions Guided by Portland’s Values?

Co-created with Chief Bob Day, Portland Police Bureau

From protests to policy shifts to interagency tensions, Portland’s public safety system has been under the spotlight. But beneath the headlines is a deeper question: How are decisions about public safety—especially in high-stakes moments—guided by community priorities? We’ll explore what it means for Portland to align its approach to public safety with the values of its people—and what happens when priorities clash across city, state, and federal levels.

Whether you work in government, for a community-based organization, or run a small business—this conversation isn’t just about policing. It’s about values, accountability, and civic culture. Come prepared to reflect, ask bold questions, and help us imagine a public safety system that is grounded in—and responsive to—the voices and priorities of Portlanders.

Join us for a spectacular evening of rare talents and civic celebrations!

Seasonal hospitality and festive libations. Splendid attire requested.

One guest allowed per member ($130).

Not a fundraising event. No speeches. Just good people and a little fun.

Co-created with Tyler Frisbee, Institute for Metropolitan Studies.

The Institute of Metropolitan Studies (IMS), housed at Portland State, is a tool for local governments and community leaders to solve deep-seated, systemic policy challenges related to the built environment in the greater Portland area. They convene, inform, and develop recommendations that are grounded in research, vetted by impacted parties and partners, and readied for implementation by local governments.

Background

As the federal government curtails its long-standing transportation funding role, and the state’s funding future looks bumpy, the cities, counties and transit districts in the Portland metropolitan area face the most significant impacts of an inadequate transportation system. Combine that with the leading role that transportation plays in greenhouse gas emissions, the increased understanding of the harm that transportation projects inflicted and continue to inflict on communities of color, the need for increased economic development in the Portland region, and a world supply chain that depends more on transportation delivery and reliability, and it becomes clear that the current spending and funding approach does not meet anyone’s needs.

With the leadership of Jennifer Dill, PhD, Director of Portland State’s Transportation Research and Education Center, and former Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who spent 54 years in elected office working on transportation and infrastructure funding initiatives, IMS is developing a white paper that looks at how local transportation spending and funding in our region compare to other regions across the US, and how potential revenue sources align with revenue needs, policy goals, and ease and efficiency of implementation.

Join a conversation with the IMS team that will take place at the mid-point of the IMS research and coalition engagement work — following several month of research, but before the have begun to crystalize final recommendations. The conversation will seek feedback on initial findings, and explore key questions.

Topic: What Will it Take to Deliver Universal Preschool in Portland?

Co-Created with Mark Holloway

In 2020, Multnomah County voters passed Preschool for All—a bold step toward universal, publicly funded preschool. Four years later, the vision is still powerful—but the pathway to sustainability is complex. How do we deliver on the promise of truly universal preschool in a way that’s equitable, financially sustainable, and grounded in community needs?

This month, we’re exploring what it will take to make universal preschool a reality in Portland—from infrastructure and workforce capacity to family access and long-term funding. 

Whether you’re a policymaker, advocate, parent, or just care about Portland’s future, this is a conversation about how we turn bold policy into everyday systems that work for families, educators, and our region.