(Portland, Ore.) Oct.13, 2009 – Portland State University will host the screening of Portland: Quest for the Livable City, a documentary film that chronicles the city's attempts to reduce its carbon footprint and grow more densely within the urban growth boundary.
The event will take place on Oct. 14, starting at 7 p.m. at Portland State University, Columbia Falls Ballroom at 310 SW Lincoln St., Portland OR, 97201.
Following a welcome by Portland State University President Wim Wiewel and the showing of the film, a panel discussion will include Armando Carbonell, senior fellow and chair, Department of Planning and Urban Form, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Tim Lay, Northern Light Productions; and Ethan Seltzer, professor, Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University. This event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.
"We were impressed from the very beginning at the incredible story that had unfolded in Portland, and we think we captured both the drama and tension, and the essence of the city as a place to live," said Bestor Cram, president of Northern Light Productions.
"Portland has been a notable experiment in land use planning, and the film shows how challenging that can be," said Gregory K. Ingram, president of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. "The issues that come to life in the film - property rights, the value of land, density and transportation, planning and citizen participation - include many that we think cities all over the U.S. will need to confront."
Incorporating historic footage of Portland and interviews with city leaders and neighborhood residents during the battles over ballot measures on the land-use planning system, Portland: Quest for the Livable City is a cautionary tale for planning in the 21st century. As cities across the country today attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, invest in transit, and focus on infill redevelopment as an alternative to car-dependent sprawl, the experience of Portland underscores a complex web of issues including economic development and jobs, gentrification, local food and farming, property rights, and civic participation.
View the Trailer: www.makingsenseofplacefilms.com/portland.html
The first films in the Making Sense of Place documentary series were Phoenix: The Urban Desert, which examined the sprawling growth and associated issues of that metropolitan area, and Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City, a look at a shrinking industrial city and its efforts to reinvent itself. All the films have aired on public television stations across the country.
Documentary series link: www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/film_series.asp
About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
A leading resource for key issues concerning the concerning the use, taxation and regulation of land, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy provides high-quality education and research, and strives to improve public dialogue and decisions about land policy.
About Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland>, Oregon, one of the nation's most livable cities, the University's innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University's 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State's commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 125 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, "Let Knowledge Serve the City," inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.
