Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Beyond Fruit: Examining Community In A Community Orchard, Emily Jane Becker

Dissertations and Theses

The Fruits of Diversity Community Orchard, located in Portland, Oregon in an affordable housing neighborhood, is a site of alternative food provisioning in which a group of people, organized by two nonprofits, work together to manage fruit and nut producing plants. Through conversations with volunteers who participate regularly and participant observation, this study explores the questions: What does community mean in the context of a community orchard? In what ways does partnering with a nonprofit from outside the neighborhood influence community and the way the project is operationalized?

This thesis situates community orchards within the literature on alternative food networks …

Cultivating Common Ground? A Case Study Of A Community Garden Organization In Northeast Portland, Oregon, Bryan James Zinschlag

Dissertations and Theses

When it comes to the topic of environmental sustainability, most of us will readily agree that we face a litany of local and global environmental threats in the twenty-first century. As such, we would largely agree that the need to address climate change and other issues is urgent. Where this agreement tends to end, however, is on the question of whether this urgency is so great that we need not address issues of inequality and environmental justice when organizing sustainability efforts. Some are convinced that, because sustainability efforts are "saving the world for everyone", so to speak, issues of environmental …

The Transformation Of Civic Institutions And Practices In Portland, Oregon, 1960-1999, Steven Reed Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation I examine how the organizational framework for civic life in Portland, Oregon, changed between 1960 and 1999 and identify several key aspects of the transformation.

The most basic change has been in the type of organizations involved in civic issues. In 1960 civic life in Portland was dominated by traditional civic organizations: fraternal and benevolent organizations, women's clubs, voluntary and charitable organizations, ethnic cultural groups, and direct social service organizations. By 1999 traditional civic organizations were displaced by advocacy oriented organizations: identity interest groups, neighborhood associations, citizen interest organizations, and social service organizations that advocated for causes. …