A Pivotal Moment for the Central City: Risks and Opportunities

Overview

• Typically our meetings are “members only,” so that we can focus on building relationships within our cohort. Because of the urgent and relevant topic, all City Council and Mayoral Candidates will be invited to participate in this meeting.

At our first fall meeting, Mike Wilkerson from ECONorthwest will guide us through recent research that illuminates the financial stress in the the Central City — and what it means for Portland (and Oregon) more broadly. After that, we’ll step through the City’s Advance Portland vision for how to restore economic dynamism and resiliency to the Central City.

And here’s where you come in: The process of developing the Advance Portland plan engaged dozens of community leaders. And now we need to hear from leaders across philanthropy, business, community, and other governments about how to prioritize action with the strategy — and to community activities that may not yet be part of the City’s vision.

We will break into feedback and brainstorm sessions in four areas: Housing, Commercial Activity + Small Business, Public Private Partnership Projects, Attract Visitors.

Portland’s recovery relies on cross sector partnership and learning together about the challenges we face. We want you to be part of that discussion and strategy development.