City Repair’s efforts inspire neighborhoods

By Edie Sidle
The Portland Upside
November 2009

Photo by Michael Cook

The “T-horse” vehicle is one of City Repair’s tools for helping citizens increase participation and build community in their neighborhoods.

In the 1952 short story, “The Sound of Thunder,” Ray Bradbury proposed that one butterfly could eventually have a far-reaching ripple effect on subsequent events. Indeed, a simple beginning will sometimes have a surprising impact.

When City Repair’s Mark Lakeman and others focused their efforts on making a Sellwood intersection a reflection of their neighborhood, little did they know the international influence the project would have ten years later.

After launching Share-It-Square in 1996 (see “Do-it–yourself neighborhood building” in the October issue of The Portland Upside), Mark and the other Sellwood residents wondered how to take the concept of public squares to other neighborhoods and thus mobilize their placemaking efforts.

They finally settled on a unique solution. Using an old truck, they created a “nomadic structure” with a traveling kitchen and its own shelter. They wanted to make it appealing and welcoming, something that would inspire and interest people. That was the birth of the T-Horse, still associated with City Repair today.

Then, and now, with the T-Horse as the focal point, City Repair invites a neighborhood to have a tea party. Neighbors bring homemade desserts, music and ideas to share so they can make connections in an informal atmosphere. The meet-and-greet plants the seed for neighbors to build community and increase participation in their neighborhood.

In the beginning, the T-Horse went from one neighborhood to another, setting the wheels in motion for possible projects. Eventually, placemaking in other neighborhoods began taking shape, with seven projects the first year, then eight the next, and twelve projects the year after that. Today, City Repair facilitates from 20 to 24 placemaking projects each year.

Most of the placemaking efforts culminate in the annual Village Building Convergence (VBC), a ten-day event that brings neighbors together to help design and build their own community amenities, including public squares, meeting houses, community kiosks, benches, and solar-powered and artistic innovations.

The VBC coordinators help participants through public outreach to involve neighbors and community decision-makers in planning and design meetings. They also help with the permitting process required by the city.

In addition to the T-Horse activities and Village Building Convergence, City Repair also sponsors community events that promote such aspirations as a citywide Earth Day Celebration and City ReWare Upcycle Markets, where treasures can be discovered at amazingly reasonable prices.

It’s not surprising that City Repair regularly receives invitations from municipalities as far away as Toronto, Canada. After all, underlying its practical goals are some pretty potent premises: to bring humanity back to our neighborhoods through the power of people and creativity, friendship and respect, organized group action, ecologically-sustainable choices and the localization of culture, economy and decision-making.

Above all, City Repair seeks to inspire, educate and activate people to become part of their community rather than aloof non-participants. It strives to improve communication in neighborhoods and to get people involved in decision-making that shapes their present and future communities.

That’s undeniably compelling and a good idea whose ripple continues to be felt to the edge of Portland’s urban growth boundary and beyond.
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See “Depave playground, reclaim nature” for an example of one of City Repair’s projects.

For more info, visit City Repair’s website at www.cityrepair.org or call them at 503-235-8946.

For years, Edie has been involved in “business writing” but more recently has been exploring creative writing, even trying her hand at poetry. She may be reached at edeegee@yahoo.com