In my recent piece, “Portland, It’s Time to Be Bold Again”, I wrote about the crossroads our city faces. Portland, once admired for its creativity, culture, and progressive vision, is now grappling with real and urgent challenges—declining tax revenue, a struggling downtown, a humanitarian crisis on our streets, and an outflow of both talent and investment.
But I didn’t write that piece to dwell on the problems.
I wrote it to make a promise: that I would offer a real plan.
A plan not based in politics, but rooted in effectiveness.
One that’s big enough to meet the moment and pragmatic enough to be implemented.
This is that plan.
What follows is a bold vision to reimagine Portland—organized around seven core priorities. It’s a blueprint to reignite economic growth, restore livability, streamline government, and rebuild public trust.
Growth Is How We Fund Our Values
The values we cherish—compassion, equity, opportunity—don’t sustain themselves. They require investment. And investment requires growth.
Portland can’t fund its future by shrinking. We can’t tax our way out of a declining economy. We must expand the pie—by creating the conditions where businesses want to build, families want to stay, and talent wants to come.
Without growth, we face a stark choice: fewer services, higher taxes on fewer people, and an accelerating exodus.
But with smart, inclusive, intentional growth, we unlock the ability to fund bold solutions—for housing, education, public safety, mental health, and a city that works for everyone.
This isn’t about left or right.
It’s about forward.
I. Revitalizing Downtown as the First Priority
A strong Portland starts with a vibrant, safe, and economically thriving downtown.
Financial Incentives to Bring Business Back
Aggressive tax abatements for companies relocating or expanding in downtown Portland
Eliminate the city’s business license tax for 5 years for new or returning companies hiring 20+ employees
Relocation grants and workforce development support for Portland-based hiring
Create a Downtown Investment Fund for storefront renovations, rent subsidies, and infrastructure
Fast-track permitting and public infrastructure upgrades to attract major employers
Reimagining the Urban Core
Convert vacant offices into mixed-use housing, cultural, and entrepreneurial hubs
Launch the “Portland Is Back” campaign to boost tourism, nightlife, and local business
Expand street cleaning, graffiti removal, and foot patrol programs
Incentivize ground-floor retail activation and design-forward storefronts
Support pop-up spaces for artists, food vendors, and makers
A vibrant downtown isn’t just good for business—it’s essential to funding public services.
II. Ending the Homelessness Crisis with Urgency and Dignity
Compassion + Accountability = Results.
We must be both humane and effective.
Coordinated Response
Centralize homelessness response under one accountable agency
Integrate services across city, county, and nonprofits
Launch a public dashboard to track progress in real time
Transitional Housing with Services
Establish sanctioned transitional housing with mental health, addiction, and job training services
Enforce camping bans only after viable alternatives are in place
Use surplus land to create safe, supported shelter communities
Rapid Housing Expansion
Declare a housing emergency to fast-track zoning and permitting
Use modular builds, hotel conversions, and SROs to scale housing
Offer incentives through public land, low-interest loans, and increased FAR
Partner with state and federal agencies for long-term capital and operating support
We can’t solve homelessness on hope alone. We need a growing tax base to fund the services that reflect our values.
III. Reclaiming Livability in Every Neighborhood
Pride. Safety. Possibility. Block by block, we restore it all.
Public Safety and Health
Expand mental health crisis teams (CAHOOTS-style) citywide
Rebuild trust in law enforcement through community policing and transparency
Launch Clean & Safe teams in every major corridor
Address open-air drug use through treatment-linked diversion programs
Parks, Clean Streets, and Pride
Launch a citywide beautification corps employing locals
Activate parks with art, food, markets, and events
Improve sanitation, lighting, and public restrooms in key areas
Fund small grants for neighborhood-led restoration
IV. A Modern, Competitive Economy
Portland must compete for business, talent, and innovation.
That means playing to win.
Innovation & Growth Hubs
Designate tax-free Innovation Zones for startups and high-growth firms
Recruit anchor industries: climate tech, sportswear, urban mobility, advanced manufacturing
Offer 10-year tax incentives to Fortune 1000 companies who invest and hire
Launch downtown university R&D partnerships
Aggressive Recruitment & Relocation
Create the Portland Global Business Office
Offer $1M relocation grants to major employers hiring 100+
Streamline registration to 24 hours for small and mid-sized businesses
Abolish startup fees and taxes for the first 3 years
Competing Nationally
Benchmark policies against Texas, Florida, Tennessee—and adapt
Create a “Move to Portland” package for remote workers
Host an annual Portland Futures Forum to attract VCs, innovators, and industry leaders
Support Local and Inclusive Business
Launch incubators in underserved neighborhoods
Guarantee 25% of city contracts to BIPOC- and women-owned businesses
Cut permitting timelines by 50%
Fund live/work housing for Portland’s creative community
When we stop competing, we stop growing. And when we stop growing—we lose the ability to lead.
V. A City That Works for Families
Great cities support working people, educators, and families.
Schools and Childcare
Fight for equitable state-level funding
Track performance transparently
Partner with employers to expand childcare and after-school access
Educators and First Responders
Offer housing stipends and tax relief for those who live in the city they serve
Thriving Public Spaces
Upgrade parks, splash pads, playgrounds, and plazas
Fund ongoing programming and maintenance
Create spaces designed for gathering, interaction, and joy
VI. Streamlined, Accountable Government
It’s time to make Portland’s government clear, effective, and fast.
Structural Reform
Audit and consolidate overlapping roles across city, county, and Metro
Unite housing, mental health, and economic development under one office
Pursue charter reform to empower leadership and decision-making
Radical Transparency
Launch a public performance dashboard
Require quarterly report cards from every bureau
Appoint a Chief Innovation Officer to modernize city services
A New Civic Compact
Form a Citizen Leadership Council to shape long-term strategy
Launch quarterly “Portland Renewal Days” for public service and repair
Celebrate civic wins and local changemakers
VII. The Next 12 Months: Immediate Action Plan
✅ Launch Downtown Business Comeback Initiative
✅ Open sanctioned transitional housing with wraparound services
✅ Begin city-county-Metro audit and charter reform
✅ Roll out Clean & Safe pilots in top 5 commercial corridors
✅ Launch Portland Is Back campaign
✅ Publish monthly civic dashboard for transparency
It’s Time to Lead with Urgency—and Imagination
We don’t need to go back to what Portland was.
We need to be bold enough to become something better.
That takes open minds, the humility to change course, and the urgency to act—now, not someday.
This plan isn’t about being right.
It’s about being effective.
It’s for those who believe our decline is not inevitable—who know Portland’s creativity, compassion, and resilience can still shape the future.
The choice is simple:
Push for greatness—or settle for complacency.
The window for small ideas has closed.
It’s time for bold thinking, shared responsibility, and courageous leadership—from our institutions, yes, but also from each of us.
So stay open.
Stay engaged.
Challenge what’s not working.
Champion what could.
If this vision speaks to you, don’t wait for permission.
Step forward. Speak up.
Be part of the generation that rebuilt Portland.
Our city is still worth believing in.
Let’s prove it—by building a city bold enough to fund its future.
If you’ve made it this far, you already know: this isn’t just a plan. It’s a challenge. To our leaders, yes—but also to every one of us who calls Portland home or cares about what’s possible in American cities.
We can’t wait for the perfect moment. We are the moment.
If this vision spoke to you, share it. Talk about it. Build on it. Push it further. And most of all—get involved. Because Portland doesn’t need passive optimism. It needs bold action.
Subscribe for more, and as always—stay principled, stay engaged, and don’t settle for a city that’s falling short. Let’s build one bold enough to lead again.
Until next time.
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