Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Deal Of The Art: Public Art Comes Of Age, John Motley

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Examines questions of how public art enhances an urban landscape, and what it says about the community. Looks at the history of public art in Portland and the impact of initiatives such as the Percent for Art ordinance. Considers the functions and forms of civic art from the Skidmore Fountain in 1891 to the present.

Da Torvalds Code: Opening Regional Minds To Open Source, Mateusz Perkowski

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Discusses the history and future of the Open Source Movement in Oregon, what makes Oregon attractive to software developers, and why open source software is attractive to software developers. Focuses on local efforts to organize the nebulous global community of open source developers, and examines local companies that use open source software in their products. Also considers the impact of having Linus Torvalds, one of the pioneers of the open source movement and creator of Linux, living in the Portland, Oregon, area.

Godless In Eden? : The Metroscape's Post-Modern Religious Life, Patricia Killen

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

An independent proprietorship focused on eclectic spiritual quests, a fading historic Protestant denomination, a thriving suburban mega church, and a home base for organized atheism—these seemingly disparate entities are both old and new on the religious landscape of the Portland metro area. They exemplify long-standing patterns in the ways people in Oregon compose individual and corporate religious journeys—fluid, unfettered individual spiritual quests that for some coalesce into communal forms that provide structure, interpersonal connections and spiritual resources. At the same time, like the growing cone on Mount St. Helens, these groups are the crust of deeper activity, three decades of …

Planning In The Portland Metropolitan Area After Measure 37, Ted Reid

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Created in the aftermath of Measure 37, the Russill Fellowship is aimed at examining non-regulatory land use planning tools and their potential application in the Portland Metropolitan area, with a particular emphasis on habitat conservation. The above-mentioned ballot initiative and the larger private property rights movement have given an indication that Oregon voters perceive inequities in the State’s land use planning system. It is also clear that Oregonians still place a high value on the conservation of our state’s natural resources. According to a March, 2005 statewide survey, protecting farmland for farming is very important to 67% of respondents, protecting …

Master Of Disaster: An Interview With Multnomah County's Director Of Emergency Management, Merilee Karr

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

An interview with Tom Simpson, Director of Emergency Management for Multnomah County, Oregon. Discusses crisis communications, issues the county faces regarding terrorism and natural disasters, as well as some obstacles and possible solutions.

Extreme Makeover: Metroscape Cities Catch On To Recreational Trends, Steve Wilson

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

In the summer of 2005, the City of Portland’s Department of Parks and Recreation approved a Skatepark Master Plan to build 19 skateparks and skatespots around the city, joining a nationwide trend that signals a shift in the relationship between municipalities and skateboarders. Dedicated and publicly-approved areas for skateboarding are popping up in towns across the country, demonstrating how skateboarding has become a recreational norm on par with traditional sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. In fact, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association (SGMA), the number of skateboarders has nearly doubled in the past decade, making it the …

Unblighting The Burbs: Renewing The Edges, Mateusz Perkowski

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

The term “urban blight” conjures up images of the stereotypical devastated American inner city: drunks and drug addicts sitting against graffiti-splattered walls, decaying buildings with broken windows that nobody bothers to replace, and alleyways layered with decades of discarded liquor bottles and other debris symptomatic of poverty and hopelessness. “Urban renewal,” which federal, state and local governments have used to combat blight since middle of the 20th Century, has itself become a phrase loaded with negative connotations, because many efforts to improve “slums” only ended up aggravating poor neighborhoods’ problems with crime and economic dysfunction. “Urban blight” and “urban renewal” …

Documenting The Impact Of Measure 37: Selected Case Studies, Sheila A. Martin, Katie Shriver

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Oregon has long been known for progressive planning policies and visionary government. The passage of Senate Bill 100 in 1973 ushered in Oregon’s modern era of land use planning and reflected a commitment by Oregonians to the protection of farm land and other natural resources while planning for substantial urban growth. Many other states have envied Oregon’s framework as they struggle with the pressures of urban sprawl. While other states were quickly converting farmland to residential uses, Oregon converted just over one percent of its farmland to other uses between 1982 and 1997.

On November 2, voters in Oregon chose …

Dreamscape: The Face Of Regional Housing, Alton Straub

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Few things are more central to the “American Dream” than owning your own home. Home ownership provides privacy and security. It binds us to our neighbors and communities, defi nes our consumption habits, and allows us to express our individuality. In the last few years, however, our homes have become “cash cow” investments that, for some people, substitute for retirement plans and college savings. The saga of American homeownership plays out across a complex landscape throughout the US and the Portland metropolitan region. It’s fi lled with many issues: housing supply, neighborhood amenities, population demographics, transportation networks, personal income levels, …