Village Building Convergence - Portland

Hey there!
The Annual ReWilding Conference is happening this coming weekend, in Portland! Come join the fun of the cause!

Annual North American Rewilding Conference January 23–25, 2026 REWILDING CONFERENCE Subsistence as Resistance REGISTER “The best time to plant an oak tree was thirty years ago. But the second best time is today.” Our MissionThe mission of the Rewilding Conference is to unite the many individuals, groups, and institutions who are workin...

Truly Rare Village Housing Opportunity in Portland!

"Are you interested in connecting more deeply with community and the land? Cedar Moon, an intentional community and land project in Portland, might just be the place for you! We are 15 people, aged from 5 months to 50, living together on a small farm tucked inside Tryon Creek State Park in SW Portland. We're looking for new residents that have experience in community living and are into good communication, hard work, and navigating diverse identities & perspectives. We have one room available now in our communal house, with several more opening in January.

~$700/month, which includes food and utilities. Email
[email protected] for more information.

"ACTIVATE Portland" is fast-approaching!
Get ready to GET READY.

Activate Portland Community Summit Winter 2025 Join us in creating a resilient community, connect with each other, and 20+ orgs doing important work in Portland.

ACTIVATE Portland is coming up soon!
Here's the link to find out more.

Activate Portland Community Summit II Join us in creating a resilient community, connect with each other, and 20+ orgs doing important work in Portland.

Coming up this week, this Thursday evening1
Our big huge mega annual open house design collaboration!

Bring all and any of your design ideas and we'll work together on them! Free of charge, to all comers!

VBC25 Is NOW underway in Portland, Oregon!

As part of this year's VBC "city-wide barn-raising", this Saturday we will be at the all-day ACTIVATE event in NE Portland! Please come and join in, and find the inspiration and motivation you know dwells within!

Activate Portland Community Summit II Join us in creating a resilient community, connect with each other, and 20+ orgs doing important work in Portland.

Hello Dear Community!
Please Help Save our Streets!

Portland is about to eliminate the Street Painting and Plaza programs that transformed ordinary intersections into vibrant community s**ces. What's being sacrificed to address the city's budget gap? The very projects that bring people together, make neighborhoods safer, and give Portland its unique character.
The city plans to cut these programs to save less than one penny of every dollar in the $93 million shortfall.
The proposed budget cuts would have devastating consequences, weakening the ability for Portlanders to shape their own communities.

We Need Your Voice by April 1st!

Visit www.portland.gov/budget/join to:
Submit Testimony: let the City know how these programs have impacted you using the online comment form.
Take the Survey: Tell the City which programs need to be prioritized and which can be cut.
Attend a Budget Listening Session: Speak in person to the City Councilors, Mayor Wilson, and the Budget Office as they attend listening sessions.
Spread the Word: Share this post with your neighbors, friends, and community groups. Encourage them to take action as well.
Every voice matters! Together, we can ensure that Portland remains a city that values community, creativity, and connection.
Pictured:

A great conversation about City Repair ideas and impacts with Kathryn Alexander of SOIL SMART. I think we're finally figuring out what is going on, and what to do about it all!

Village Making Mark Lakeman 3 19 25 The meeting began with a discussion of Mark's journey from conventional architecture to community-focused design, emphasizing the importance of creating s**c...

THIS is what we DO !!!!

Log into Facebook Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

It's the local impact that matters most!
AND, the greatest, hugest-ever "Street Repair-for-People" happened this weekend! One quarter mile long, the new record for the state of Oregon, if not the USA or the world.

Interested in affordable, shared living in your later years?
Check out this new offering from Rachel Hemmingson!

Rachel Hemmingson | PCC Your interest in this class is truly wonderful. Not just because you are helping me begin to fulfill a vision I’ve had for decades. It’s more because the concepts I’ll share in this class are valuable and needed in our times — and for the future. You are part of improving life for our commun...

We've done SO much resilient design over the years. Here's another project we'll be uploading onto the communitecture.net website soon.

The WaterGather Watershed Festival.

This one is a tremendous story! In 1998 a team of young designers, including Michael Hebb and Mark Lakeman of City Repair, won the coveted "Monumental ideas Competition". Our idea was a precursor and promoter of the Eastbank Esplanade that was created soon after. The concept was a remarkable series of ecological installations and places to be located on the east bank as part of a new annual watershed celebration. The festival was designed to raise awareness and inspire action to clean the Willamette river and larger watershed, while making an astoundingly compelling event that would bring people from far and wide to reinhabit the east side of the river's edge.

Through a public vote, this design was the resounding winner of the competition. However, the promised prize money was never produced, most likely because the corporate sponsor of the competition was frightened of the idea.

Viva WaterGather!!