Your Neighborhood, Your Future, Portland, OR 2001
Partners:
KGW-TV (NBC), KGW.com
Portland Tribune
Beaverton Valley Times
Tigard Times
Gresham Outloo
Clackamas Review
As elected planning officials in the Portland area began seeking public input on a long-term growth plan, the media partners launched a project to inform citizens and engage their interest in the process. “Your Neighborhood, Your Future” included dozens of TV and print stories about crucial growth issues. A poll and a town meeting provided a barometer of public opinion on the issues.
The project started Oct. 1, 2001, with a KGW story about growing pains in the region. Print partners followed with similar stories. Meanwhile, the partners commissioned a poll of 400 Portland area residents on growth, traffic, schools and the economy. The poll surfaced some surprising contradictions. Respondents worried about the economy and favored incentives to attract new business even as they expressed concerns about too many newcomers. They supported the urban growth boundary but opposed higher density development in cities. They wanted to ease traffic congestion but didn’t want to pay for transportation projects.
Stories continued to run from October to March, explaining the impact of growth and the trade-offs involved in related issues. KGW’s Web site offered an interactive feature that allowed users to type in their address and see how regional growth plans for 2040 would affect their neighborhood. The site also offered a slide show on growth plans for the next four decades.
The project culminated in a one-hour Town Hall Discussion on growth issues, March 15, 2002, broadcast live on KGW. A panel of local elected officials, neighborhood leaders, businessmen and citizens took questions from a studio audience of about 100 people. The meeting coincided with the wrap-up conference of the elected planning officials on Metro. When, later that year, Metro proposed expanding the urban growth boundary by 15,000 acres – the largest expansion in more than 20 years – KGW news director Rod Gramer said he believed the project had played an important part in furthering public discussion of the issue.
Contact:
Rod Gramer
Executive News Director
KGW-TV
1501 SW Jefferson St.
Portland, OR 97201-2549
Phone: (503) 226-5079