This month marks a full year since Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff moved to remote work. So much has happened this past year; I don't think any of us expected that we'd still be working remotely a year later. But with the ever-improving news about approved vaccines and increased availability – and the beginning of spring weather – I am starting to feel optimistic about the months ahead.
As we mark this anniversary, I wanted to acknowledge the resilience and patience of our BPS staff, their support of one another and the ways they have taken care of themselves. To say this has been a hard year is an understatement. Some of us have been at home day in and day out with our loved ones, which can create tensions. Others have been isolated living alone. We have been separated from family members and friends and are feeling the loss of physical contact, including that daily contact with our colleagues. We lost a friend, co-worker, and hugely valued member of our larger Portland community, Tony Lamb. I am grateful to how we have supported each other and emboldened by how we continue to step up and advance ideas Tony championed in our work.
Along with countless others, we have struggled to support our kids who are facing challenges from learning remotely to increased anxiety, depression, and self-harm. We have lost loved ones to COVID and have been filled with worry because we or our loved ones are at risk due to pre-existing conditions. We have faced economic hardships and struggles and witnessed the impacts to our communities across the city. And at BPS, we are facing the painful realities of staff layoffs, transitions of dear colleagues, and continued financial challenges.
Our nation is going through a long-overdue reckoning of how racism underpins and impairs our country and our community, but that too has brought more hurt, struggle, and trauma. Portland is facing its own unique struggles, and BPS continues to play a vital role in shaping a just future.
Because through it all, we continue to do good work, from keeping our finances and operations running smoothly and the waste collection system operating efficiently, from our critical planning and community development role, to our work on climate, an innovative clean energy fund for community, and centering racial equity more consistently in our work. This work will be critical as we look ahead to how we – the people of Portland – recover and build back better: a more equitable, healthier, and carbon-free city.
I am grateful for BPS staff, our City colleagues, our commissioners and advisory bodies, and our community partners who collaborate with us and challenge us to be better. I find hope in all the Portlanders who connect with us, serve on committees, or take the time to testify at the Planning and Sustainability Commission or City Council. This past year, we have all had to step up and learn how to collaborate in new ways.
Thank you for weathering this past year with us. Our work is cooperative and community-centered – and better when we are together – whether in person, on the phone, or via a Zoom meeting.
Andrea Durbin