A five-minute video funded by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation tells the story of black communities struggling to preserve their traditions in what's been called the whitest city in the United States.
Oregon Humanities magazine recently debuted "Future: Portland," a short video produced by Ifanyi Bell and inspired by an essay Bell wrote for an earlier issue of Oregon Humanities about the challenges of growing up black in Portland (or as the essay puts it, growing up "tolerated and underestimated" in Portland). According to a post on the Oregon Humanities website, the five minute video includes "civic leaders [describing] the loss of Portland’s strong black communities and the hope of restoring them in the future."
Casey Parks reports on the video for The Oregonian, noting especially that no one in the video uses the word gentrification. "They don't have to. The stories African Americans tell of home in 'Future: Portland' do more to tell the story of this changing city than any buzzword can," writes Parks.
The article by Parks provides more of a backstory on Bell's process in creating the video but also the opportunity the video means to seize. Bell is quote directly in the article: "This is an opportunity for Portland to do what no other city has done, to really wrestle with these issues and come up with some kind of action….I no longer have to convince people there is a problem. We understand what's at stake. The most difficult part is finding out what to do with this knowledge."
FULL STORY: Loss and Hope for Portland’s Black Communities
Kids and Urbanization
The question of whether there is space for children in rapidly changing cities was under investigation in two recent studies with somewhat contradictory findings.
Portland's 'Community-Led Urbanism' Tackles Displacement and Sustainability
A grassroots plan seeks to cultivate a sustainable, affordable center of Black culture in the neighborhood of Albina.
10 U.S. Cities Launch Anti-Displacement Network
More than half of American tenants are rent-burdened, putting them at risk of displacement. A national collaboration with PolicyLink hopes to help.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations
Bublr Bikes, one of the nation’s most successful, will add 500 new e-bikes to its system.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service