1.
Advocacy and Coalition Building:
Portland Traffic and Transportation Class:
Increasing awareness and understanding in
local advocates through education

2.
Why Train the “Enemy”?
! Late 1980s to Early 1990s – Tense relations between
City and community advocates
! A lack of effective communication existed between
neighborhood advocates, experts in their streets
and issues, and the trained professionals at the City.
! Desire from leadership to introduce advocates to
the bureaus and how they work as well introduce
the advocates to the city.

3.
Setting the Tone
! University setting was key to
promote civil discussion rather
than contentious arguments.
! Top official of
agency or
department
presents for 1 hour
including questions.
! No substitutions
allowed
! Several current
presenters are
former students of
the class.

4.
Inspired by the Past
Four hour site visit one
Saturday during the term.
Visiting projects completed
throughout Portland’s history.

5.
Developing the Future
! Participants work
throughout class on their
particular issue to
create a 3 minute
presentation.
! Assignments during the
term include creating a
map, reaching out to
public agencies involved
and communicating why
the solution won’t
happen.

6.
From Class Project to Reality
! 4 lane road with no traffic
calming elements.
! Frequent location for
speeding violations.
! Used as bypass road for
traffic to get through a
residential neighborhood.
! Members of Neighborhood
Association enrolled in
class 5 times to perfect
plan.
! Project implemented with
new bio-swales, median
plantings and clearly
defined lanes

7.
From Class Project to Reality
! Busy street adjacent to local
high school and community
park.
! Frequently used crossing for
neighborhood students.
! 4 lanes, 2 in each direction,
no bulb outs, no marked
crossings.
! Following fatality of
pedestrian, 5 neighborhood
advocates joined class to
develop plan for intersection.
! Plan developed in class and
then presented to City Council
where it was approved and
implemented.

8.
Thank You
Julie Gustafson
Community Relations Manager, Portland Streetcar, Inc.
Co-Coordinator of Portland Traffic & Transportation Class
Julie.Gustafson@portlandstreetcar.org