City Repair Project

City Repair Project
Formation 1996 (1996)
Founded at Portland, Oregon
Purpose Community education and activism
Coordinates 45°31′12″N 122°40′55″W / 45.52000°N 122.68194°W / 45.52000; -122.68194Coordinates: 45°31′12″N 122°40′55″W / 45.52000°N 122.68194°W / 45.52000; -122.68194
Brent Bellamy, Sarah Frances Micaelson Lakeman, Todd Ferry, Mark Michaelson Lakeman[1]

The City Repair Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon. Its focus is education and activism for community building. The organizational motto is "The City Repair Project is group of citizen activists creating public gathering places and helping others to creatively transform the places where they live."[2]

Structure

City Repair is an organization primarily run by volunteers. A Board of Directors oversees the project's long term vision and a Council maintains its daily operations. Both the Board of Directors and Council meet monthly. City Repair's work focuses on localization and placemaking. The City Repair Project maintains an office in Portland.

History

The City Repair Project was founded in 1996 by a small group of neighbors interested in sustainability and neighborhood activism.[3] The first City Repair action was an intersection repair at Share-It Square at SE 9th Ave and SE Sherrett Street. An intersection repair is a place where two streets crossed that is painted by the members of that neighborhood. The street is closed down during the painting. The first intersection repair that happened was at Share-it Square. Other intersection repairs include Sunnyside Piazza.[4][5]

Annual events

City Repair hosts two events annually, Portland's Earth Day celebration and the Village Building Convergence.[6]

Past projects include the T-Horse, a small pick-up truck converted into a mobile tea house. The T-Horse was driven to neighborhood sites and events around Portland and served free chai and pie.

The organization has inspired groups around the United States to start their own City Repair Projects. Unaffiliated City Repairs exist in California, Washington, Minnesota, and other places.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cityrepair.org/staff-board/
  2. ↑ About City Repair Archived 26 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Boss, Suzie. "RIMBY: Where change begins." San Francisco Chronicle. 27 February 2009.
  4. ↑ Project for Public Spaces
  5. ↑ Jan C. Semenza (2003). "The Intersection of Urban Planning, Art, and Public Health: The Sunnyside Piazza". American Journal of Public Health. 93 (9): 1439–1441. doi:10.2105/ajph.93.9.1439. PMC 1447989. PMID 12948959.
  6. ↑ Riegel, Rich. "It takes a village: Volunteers, builders join forces for May building convergence." Daily Journal of Commerce. 28 April 2004.
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