A Flowering Movement in Rose City

Strong Towns member Victoria Via. (Source: Victoria Via, with edits.)

Back in June, I sent an email to people on our email list who live in Portland, Oregon, to let them know a new Local Conversation had formed there. A Local Conversation is a group of people in a particular place who come together to talk about the Strong Towns approach and then put it into action where they live. As I wrote earlier this Member Week, my favorite part of my job is that I often get to be the one to tell Strong Towns advocates they aren’t alone, that there are allies and kindred spirits nearby…and they want to meet! The Portland email was especially fun to write because the city is just 45 minutes up the road from me. I used to live there, and many of my closest friends and family still call Portland home. The Rose City has a lot going for it, but, like most North American cities, it needs—and deserves—to be stronger, safer, more livable, and more financially resilient.

When the Strong Towns Portland group met again in July, there were some new faces. Among them was Victoria Via, an architect who specializes in affordable housing development. Victoria cares deeply about cities and how they grow, about walkability, and about public transportation. She first heard about Strong Towns from her husband, Jeremiah Via, a software engineer, and she had been following our articles and podcasts closely for some time. A Strong Towns member, she was looking forward to meeting other Strong Towns advocates in her city.

As people introduced themselves at the Local Conversation meeting, Victoria was impressed by the group’s diversity of experience, background, and interests. There were built environment professionals like architects and planners, but there were passionate “laypeople,” too. Victoria appreciated how the Local Conversation organizer, Kathleen McConnell, framed the introductions: “Don’t worry if you don’t yet have all the terminology to talk about the issues you’re passionate about. If you care about public transportation, for example, or want to see something change in your neighborhood, or at an intersection, just talk about it. No one is going to judge you if you don’t have the lingo down.” That set a positive tone for the meeting and for the group going forward.

Over the last five months, Strong Towns Portland has grown. It has more than 20 members, and Victoria is now co-leading the group with Kathleen, Jeremiah, and Allan Rudwick. The group meets monthly but is active daily on their Slack channel. Together, they are looking at housing development fees, land use in the city, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s street classification system. Still in its early stages, Strong Towns Portland is supporting its members’ individual work while also circling around projects they can work on as a team.

“Portland has a long history of civic engagement,” Victoria told me, “and we are lucky enough to have members who are involved in neighborhood associations, advisory committees, and other community groups. We have a lot of active groups in Portland doing great work, and we are looking forward to collaborating with them. But we are also looking forward to building up Portland through the Strong Towns approach. The Strong Towns lens brings something else to our community.”

Victoria and the other members of the Local Conversation have discussed at length what unique contribution Strong Towns can bring to Portland. The aspect they really want to focus on is the financial one. 

“We want to make sure Portland is financially resilient and strong,” she said. “We want to make sure our local accounting and budgets are transparent and strong. This is what supports all those other issues we are interested in: transportation, housing, climate resilience, livability. I also think the financial resilience piece is powerful and accessible.”

Victoria says the mission and vision of Strong Towns seem to be resonating with people everywhere. For people interested in starting their own Local Conversation, she counsels them to “just go for it.” 

“There seem to be so many people interested in Strong Towns or in urbanism,” she said. “Once you have your group going, more people will hear about it. Start the conversation. Talk to people in your community and see what their vision is for their neighborhood and community. Our Local Conversation cares deeply about Portland. We want our families, friends, and neighbors to thrive here.”

Victoria also says Strong Towns Portland feels well-supported by the Strong Towns staff. “I really appreciate the support you and the rest of the Strong Towns team have given Local Conversations,” she told me. “I see the things you’re sharing. As our own group grows, I know we will be well supported as we tackle our local issues.”

Strong Towns Portland is one of 126 Local Conversations around the United States and Canada. In many ways, these local groups are where the rubber meets the road of the Strong Towns movement. The direct support Strong Towns staff are able to offer them is only possible because of the support we received first from Strong Towns members like you. We may be the ones who get to help organizers form new groups, email people to let them know they’re not alone in their community, and support the leading-edge work being done by Local Conversations—but we are doing it thanks to and on behalf of our Strong Towns members. 

If you’re already a Strong Towns member, we thank you. If you’re not one yet, please consider becoming a member today.

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