Bailout Strategists: Thinking through Philanthropy in a Time of Troubles

As the global economy spirals into the unknown, fiscal certainty remains hard to come by in the region, especially when it comes to issues of social justice and support for the underprivileged. It’s hard to hear marginalized communities over the din of big banks and corporate CEOs. Increasingly, philanthropic organizations are being relied upon to fill the gap between having and needing, but can we expect philanthropy to thrive given predictions of darkening financial gloom? Vivek Shandas recently sat down with the principals from two local foundations outside the mainstream to learn about their strategies for success. Marjory Hamman is Executive Director of the Mackenzie River Gathering Foundation (MRG), a community- supported foundation that funds work on social, environmental, and economic justice in Oregon

Periodic Atlas of the Metroscape: The Geography of Water

Atlas of water districts and water use in the Portland Metro Area

Making EcoDistricts: City-Scale Climate Action One Neighborhood at a Time

As part of its approach to meeting Climate Action Plan goals, the City of Portland has joined with the Portland Sustainability Institute to create EcoDistricts in Portland neighborhoods to seek neighborhood engagement on behalf of city climate action goals. EcoDistricts, like neighborhoods, offer a scale at which individuals can be affective and empowered to make climate-positive choices, but in a manner that can scale up to make citywide climate action real

Incorporating Science into the Environmental Policy Process: a Case Study from Washington State

The incorporation of science into environmental policy is a key concern at many levels of decision making. Various institutions have sought to standardize the protection of natural resources by requiring that decisions be made based on the best available science. Here we present empirical data describing the incorporation of best available science in the land-use policy process on a local scale. Results are based on interviews with planners and others who conducted scientific reviews associated with a Washington State Growth Management Act amendment that requires the inclusion of best available science in protecting critical areas. Our results show that jurisdictions varied with respect to how they included science in their land-use policies. Specifically, we found that smaller jurisdictions were very reliant on scientific information provided by state agencies, communicated frequently with other jurisdictions and agencies, and most often let scientific information guide the policy development process. Medium-sized jurisdictions, in contrast, were more inwardly focused, relied predominantly on local information, communicated little with outsiders, and more often looked to political influences to guide the policy process. Large jurisdictions, including most counties, often generated their own best science, communicated with and often informed state agencies and other jurisdictions, and more often considered science first during the policy development process. Jurisdictions also differed in terms of how best available science was defined, and how jurisdictions dealt with conflicting scientific information. Our results provide empirical evidence of the variation with which best available science is used in environmental policies

Towards an Explicit Understanding of Network Governance in Urban Forestry Management: A Case Study of Portland (OR), USA

As the climate continues to warm, and municipal leaders look for cost-effective and timely approaches to urban sustainability, one increasingly sought-out approach is the use of tree canopy to cool neighborhoods. Despite widespread efforts to expand tree canopy in cities, an overwhelming body of evidence suggests that urban green space is declining across the U.S., yet little is known about the factors that propel these changes. Understanding the institutional and governance systems can help identify the opportunities for slow consistent declines. Using social network analysis (SNA) metrics, we examined stakeholder roles in power structures and decision-making processes within Portland, Oregon’s urban forest management. Our results reveal a highly decentralized urban forestry network (density = 0.0079), with weak cohesion (5.4%) among 162 stakeholders. Moving forward, while network governance may face obstacles from conflicting interests among community and interagency groups, transforming governance models at all levels will require developing periodic, collaborative urban forestry management plans to address nature-based planning challenges. These planning documents should strongly emphasize not only the prioritization of tree equity-related ordinances but also the optimization of eco-literacy and awareness through virtual reality (VR) technology. As a novel approach, immersive simulations demonstrate practical potential for showcasing urban forestry benefits in network governance outreach and consensus-building

Spatial patterns of air toxins in the region

This Atlas draws on the Portland Air Toxics Assessment (PATA) study to explore the regional variation of air quality. The PATA study presents an extraordinary opportunity to think about how the creation of new information can help us better plan our cities, but it also challenges us to think about the impacts of the choices we make

Portland’s Response to the Western North American Heatwave: A Brief Report

Background: In June of 2021, a heatwave resulted in high mortality across the Pacific Northwest region. The city of Portland, Oregon, had many advantages: emergency response personnel, science-based policies, political support for climate change adaptation, and collaboration among municipal, county, state, and federal authorities. Though the city’s response likely prevented many deaths, heat-related mortality was high. Methods: This study presents a retrospective case analysis of the 2021 Western North American Heatwave in Portland, Oregon. Specifically, the study examines the limitations of current heatwave response paradigms by means of a narrative review of the heatwave response and impacts. Results: Most deaths occurred at home, and most of those who died lived alone. Most of the deceased did not have access to functioning air conditioning. Conclusions: Heatwaves exhibit high predictability in the demographics of those most affected and have rising rates of recurrence. Given the effectiveness of residential cooling systems in preventing heat-related mortality, findings suggest that future public health and policy initiatives should put increased focus on the primary prevention of heat exposure

Integrating Education, Evaluation & Partnerships into Large-Scale Sustainable Stormwater Management Programs

Integrated stormwater management using green infrastructure shows promise in saving money and mitigating environmental impacts caused by urban development. Equally important are the potential community benefits, including better understanding of ecological systems, increased access to urban green spaces, safer and healthier neighborhoods, and informed residents that are equipped to take action to improve watershed health. As a partnership between the City of Portland Environmental Services, Portland State University, and residents of the Tabor to the River (T2R) neighborhood, we conducted a survey to understand the role of civic ecology in green infrastructure projects. The survey results indicate a high interest in certain stormwater strategies and highlights information gaps among T2R residents. Supportive strategies that might improve the civic capacity for residents to steward green infrastructure project include financial incentives and technical assistance, and reducing costs and limiting time commitments. Outreach through classes and hands on training also seem appealing to respondents. These results help to frame an outreach strategy that leverages involvement from multiple partners to advance our understanding of the role civic ecology in large-scale, urban, green infrastructure projects

Effects of Human Choices on Characteristics of Urban Ecosystems

Most urban ecology in cities remains an ecology in cities rather than an ecology of cities. Accomplishing the latter requires the inclusion of humans within the concept of ecosystem, both how humans alter the properties of urban ecosystems and how these alterations in turn influence human well-being. These influences are both direct (e.g., physiological and psychological influences on the human organism) and indirect, by influencing ecosystem sustainability. For the 2007 ESA meeting, Larry Baker, Loren Byrne, Jason Walker, and Alex Felson organized a symposium to address the relationships among human choices and urban ecosystems. In the introductory talk of this symposium, these authors discussed how the cumulative effect of individual household choices can have major effects on the properties of urban ecosystems

Spatial Thinking in Planning Practice: An Introduction to GIS

The goals of this textbook are to help students acquire the technical skills of using software and managing a database, and develop research skills of collecting data, analyzing information and presenting results. We emphasize that the need to investigate the potential and practicality of GIS technologies in a typical planning setting and evaluate its possible applications. GIS may not be necessary (or useful) for every planning application, and we anticipate these readings to provide the necessary foundation for discerning its appropriate use. Therefore, this textbook attempts to facilitate spatial thinking focusing more on open-ended planning questions, which require judgment and exploration, while developing the analytical capacity for understanding a variety of local and regional planning challenges. While this textbook provides the background for understanding the concepts in GIS as applicable to urban and regional planning, it is best when accompanied by a hands-on tutorial, which will enable readers to develop an in-depth understanding of the specific planning applications of GIS. Chapters in this text book are either composed by the editors using Creative Common materials, or linked to a book chapter scanned copy in the library reserve. In the end of each chapter, we also provided several discussion questions, together with contextual applications through some web links. Please see the Open Textbook Library for faculty reviews of this textbook If you are an instructor adopting or adapting this PDXOpen textbook, please help us understand your use by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/sFg1WJhMvUzLh7ZE7https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/pdxopen/1004/thumbnail.jp