news in Multnomah Village, Southwest (SW) Portland...

Portlanders are a generous people, constantly seeking opportunities to volunteer, help others, and improve their community. Consider the role that Friends of Trees has in keeping Portland green, or the fact that Hands on Greater Portland provides daily volunteer opportunities with 300-plus partner organizations throughout the Portland metro area. According to a recent story in the Portland Tribune, Portland ranks more...

This is the first in a series about how landlords and their current and potential commercial tenants, as well as business and neighborhood associations, can work together to create vibrant, livable neighborhoods and business districts. Whether they realize it or not, landlords have the power to actively or passively shape and restrict a neighborhood's commercial success. There are plenty of success stories, but more...

If you think conducting a survey means canvassing your neighborhood with a clipboard and tallying results, you’ve got it wrong. Surveys are an effective, affordable and underutilized business tool that small business owners and community organizations can use to obtain information and evaluate what’s most important to their customers and neighbors. All well-planned projects require the input of more...

This is the first article in a series about neighborhood branding. We'll explore how to change the perception of your neighborhood or business district, including assessment and planning as well as the steps to create a brand and make it live. How do people react when you reveal which Portland neighborhood you live in? Cully neighbor Justin Houk has been told that he lives in the "hillbilly part of more...

Judging by the restaurants, bars and food carts that line our streets, we Portlanders sure like dining out. But when you consider the many successful urban farms and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) cropping up all over town, we sure like dining in too. If you and your family are thinking about joining a CSA, how can you tell which one works best for you? Do you choose the one that empowers underserved youth, more...

Portland loves its food carts—there’s no doubt about that. While there might be differences of opinion regarding the “best” food cart in town—it’s hard to compare the fishy chips of EuroTrash to the breakfast offerings at The Big Egg—there’s certainly no question that the city’s food cart scene is embraced by the city’s foodie culture as a distinct element more...

Thriving commercial districts are part of what makes Portland great. It’s these distinct neighborhood hubs, each with a unique character, that draw out the coffee drinker, vintage clothes connoisseur, vinyl collector, or simply the hungry. When you look at the history of these neighborhoods, and their commercial corridors in particular, you’ll soon discover that they weren’t always bustling. The more...

A small business owner recently asked Neighborhood Notes, “What do I need to do to hire my first employee?” We began to answer that question by talking to several small business owners who have already hired their first, and in some cases second, third and more, employee. Simply enough, we asked: “How do you know when it’s time to hire your first employee?” The responses were more...

This is the first in a series of articles that will cover the basics of land use in Portland. Let's face it. You might not notice when a six-story apartment building is being constructed just a few hundred feet from a cluster of single-story homes—unless one of those homes is yours. Developments happen all the time, in every city. Some residents are grateful when a grocery store opens just a few blocks more...

Who is responsible for job creation? The president, local government, entrepreneurial business people? As we expressed last month in the first installment in our Thinking Local series, you don’t have to look to ambiguous entities to create change in your community. You, and your neighbors, have the power to effect considerable change by just changing your habits. There is power in your dollar, but there is more...