PORTLAND PLAN
Non-Binding City Policy
NCP-ENB-10.09
PURPOSE
WHEREAS, for generations, Portlanders worked with intention to create a city that is culturally vibrant, intellectually curious, innovative and beautiful; and
WHEREAS, instead of creating sprawl as in many other growing urban areas, Portland linked land use, transportation, economic development, green spaces and people, and poured effort and resources into building strong neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Portlanders cleaned the river, improved air quality and became the first in the U.S. to adopt a formal local plan to lower carbon emissions; and
WHEREAS, Portland reintroduced the modern streetcar, promoted new ways of managing waste and stormwater, became a major international freight gateway and is now a hub for the clean tech revolution; and
WHEREAS, over the past 40 years, Portland has shown it could grow a vital local economy, protect the natural environment and support vibrant places to work and live; and
WHEREAS, despite these many successes, times are tough and resources are scarce; education, jobs, housing and other issues need attention, and there are major challenges on the horizon; and
WHEREAS, today:
• Not all of Portland’s diverse individuals and communities have equitable access to opportunities to advance their well-being and achieve their full potential; and Portland’s graduation rate is 60 percent and great racial disparities in graduation rates persist; and
• Nearly one-quarter of households do not earn enough money to be considered economically self-sufficient; and
• Portland needs more living wage jobs for more Portlanders; and
• Despite significant investments in transit, sixty percent of Portlanders still drive alone to work; and
• Carbon emissions are only six percent below 1990 levels; and
• Only forty-five percent of Portlanders live in walkable, complete neighborhoods; and
• Only forty-four percent of Portlandadults are at a healthy weight; and
• Only 60 percent of Portlanders feel safe walking alone in their neighborhoods at night and
• Not all of Portland’s watershed’s meet desired water quality standards; and
WHEREAS, these challenges cannot be solved by one agency working alone, the City joined with more than 20 local agency partners; and
WHEREAS, through outreach to each Portland household and business by the Portland Plan Partners, Portlanders responded with more than 20,000 comments about what kind of city they want Portland to be by 2035; and
WHEREAS, a volunteer Community Involvement Committee advised staff on how best to conduct an inclusive public involvement process; and
WHEREAS, the City provided grants to the Diversity and Civic Leadership organizations, Center for Intercultural Organizing, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Latino Network and Urban League, to improve outreach to and involvement of diverse constituencies; and
WHEREAS, twenty workshops, fairs and public hearings held throughout the city and staff discussed the Portland Plan and more than 300 community meetings; and
WHEREAS, staff conducted extensive existing conditions and best practices research; the City invited national experts to discussed how to improve equity, health, education and the economy in Portland; the Planning and Sustainability Commission conducted numerous public hearings; and results of this research, expertise, and public testimony is collected in the Portland Plan Background Reports, and
WHEREAS, the Portland Plan is intended to help make Portland a prosperous, educated, healthy and equitable city; and
WHEREAS, the Portland Plan has three Integrated Strategies:
• Thriving Educated Youth
• Economic Prosperity and Affordability
• Healthy Connected City; and
WHEREAS, these three strategies are held together by an understanding that:
• Advancing equity must be at the core of our plans for the future
• One size does not fit all
• High quality basic services are fundamental to success
• Resilience is important in a changing world
• Above all, partnerships will drive change; and
WHEREAS, the Portland Plan includes A Framework for Equity to guide plan implementation and improve City operational and business practices, support actions that promote accountability, close disparity gaps and increase community engagement in civic activities;
POLICY
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council will use the Portland Plan as the City’s strategic plan to guide decisions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs the Office of Management and Finance to evaluate budgets with reference to the Portland Plan strategies and goals; and for all City bureaus to implement the Portland Plan Five-Year Action Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and the Office of Management Finance to facilitate and monitor implementation of the Portland Plan by City bureaus and the Portland Plan Partners; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs the Office of Management and Finance and other City Bureaus to work with the Office of Equity and Human Rights to incorporate the Framework for Equity into city practices; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council will evaluate the City’s progress using the 12 Portland Plan Measures of Success:
• By 2035, the graduation rate should be 90 percent and gaps in racial disparities should decrease year over year
• By 2035, 90 percent of Portland households are economically self-sufficient
• By 2035, Portland’s role as an export center must grow so that Portland can become one of the top ten exporting regions in the nation
• By 2035, 70 percent of Portlanders take active transportation, transit or carpool to work or work from home
• By 2035, Portland needs to be home to more than 500,000 jobs
• By 2035, 80 percent of Portlanders live in walkable, complete neighborhoods
• By 2035, each year the percentage of Portland youth and adults at a healthy weight increases and meets or exceeds recommended federal guidelines
• By 2035, at least 75 percent of Portlanders feel safe walking alone in their neighborhoods at night
• By 2035, carbon emission levels are 50 percent below 1990 levels
• By 2035, by all Portland watershed meet or exceed desired water; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and the Office of Management Finance to work with Portland State University to refine and track these 12 Portland Plan Measures of Success; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs staff to continue to collaborate with and expand public, private and nonprofit partners and continue collaborations that are already implementing the Portland Plan, including All Hands Raised, Greater Portland, Inc. and The Intertwine; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to submit an ordinance for Council consideration by August 2012 that would allow the Portland Plan Background Reports to be used as official supporting documents for the state-mandated update of the City of Portland's Comprehensive Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council directs the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to submit an ordinance for Council consideration by June 2013 that would integrate applicable Portland Plan Guiding Policies into the state-mandated update of the City of Portland's Comprehensive Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the above directions to submit ordinances to Council by August 2012 and June 2013 are not land use decisions within the meaning of ORS 197.015(10) because these directions are not final determinations of the Portland City Council concerning the adoption, amendment, or application of the Statewide Planning Goals, a comprehensive plan, or a land use regulation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council adopts the Portland Plan, a strategic plan to guide future City decisions, by resolution as a non-binding policy document attached as Exhibit A.
Link to Portland Plan Exhibit A and related documents (through Auditor's Office Efiles)
HISTORY
Resolution No. 36918, adopted by City Council April 25, 2012.