The Portland City Council has unanimously approved the Advance Portland inclusive economic development strategy

Portland, OR – According to the city officials, the Advance Portland plan provides a framework for inclusive growth through interventions that advance competitiveness, racial equity, and climate action.

City officials also said that the Advance Portland plan includes a comprehensive assessment of economic strengths and challenges: In the decades before the pandemic, Portland’s accelerated growth through attraction of skilled labor enabled the economy to flourish, but insufficient business growth and housing production during that time created the challenging economics Portland is experiencing post-pandemic.

With particularly adverse impacts on BIPOC communities, the Central City, and East Portland, and population decline for the first time in 40 years, the city can no longer take growth for granted.

Building on Portland’s economic assets, private, community, and public partners identified urgent and longer-term interventions needed to create a more prosperous, vibrant, and inclusive city.

Advance Portland: A Call to Action for Inclusive Economic Growth is a focused plan to collectively deliver inclusive and sustainable economic growth through four key objectives:

1. Propel Inclusive Economic Growth and Innovation in key traded sector clusters and expand green products and services while addressing barriers to growth.
2. Promote Equitable Wealth Creation by supporting BIPOC-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses through partnerships, capital, and support.
3. Foster a Vibrant Central City and Commercial Districts with tailored strategies to create vital centers of employment, small business, entertainment, and cultural amenities.
4. Connect Portlanders to High-Quality Jobs in Future-Ready Sectors through industry-based and industry-driven job training and improved proximity to quality jobs.