About Neighborworking

Neighborworking is an information resource centered on neighborhoods as the natural building blocks of our cities and towns. Neighborworking was started by neighborhood enthusiasts in Portland, Oregon – who want to document the history of Portland’s neighborhood system to help support a framework of neighborhoods that are democratic, engaged, diverse, equitable, inclusive, functional and vibrant. To that end we are building a sort of neighborhood-themed “Information Please Almanac” – that provides links to rich history, in-depth research, and a wide range of resources illustrating the scope of the neighborhood as an important unit of human living.

Why Community Engagement?

Community Engagement is what makes neighborhoods and cities tick. The National Civic League recently updated their “Model City Charter” to include new language that supports community engagement and equity. Including the role of the community in your city charter significantly strengthens the likelihood that effective community engagement will become integral to your local government culture. You can find the suggested community engagement language at: https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/model-city-charter-9th-edition-article-vii-the-role-of-public-engagement-in-local-governance/

Value Neighborhoods Bring

Develop Leaders
Events (fun community events, volunteer projects, community dialogues)
Help with navigations
Information and Referral
Forums and gatherings
Networking
Education
Communications (newsletters, websites, listservs, social media, etc)
Amplify community voice
Donations / financial support
Advocacy support
Support and partner with other community organizations
Share knowledge and best practices

Why Neighborhoods?

According to the Project for Public Spaces: Neighborhoods–whether in cities, suburbs, or small towns–are the level where people interact most regularly and naturally. Neighborhoods provide a ready-made forum for tackling problems like traffic, crime, or social alienation that seem too daunting to address on the national or municipal scale. Even in communities where there are no pressing troubles, the neighborhood remains an ideal setting for important work such as restoring a park, enlivening a business district, or boosting an inherent “sense of community.”

Portland, Oregon New 2025 City Council District Updates

Portland, Oregon New 2025 City Council Districts – List of Neighborhoods and Maps

Neighborhood News

News affecting neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon and around the world

50 Years of Informed, Grassroots Public Involvement

March 15, 2024

Part II: Celebrating Portland’s Community Engagement Program By Paul Leistner PhD, Policy Analysis and Community Engagement, Portland State University [Ed. Note: This is the second in the series of articles to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Portland’s nationally and internationally recognized community engagement system.] What does it take to create

Participatory Democracy in Portland: 1974 – 2024

February 16, 2024

Participatory Democracy in Portland: 1974 – 2024A Half Century of Neighborhood Empowerment February 7th marks 50 years since the City of Portland adopted its nationally-recognized system of community engagement. It’s time to celebrate this important milestone!Emerging from an era of political turmoil and a surge in grassroots activism, a novel

Utility Pole Banners

Examples of neighborhoods that have put up banners and how they did

Fundraising

Ways that Neighborhoods Fundraise

Disability Actions

How to work on disability improvements

History Projects

Examples of neighborhood history projects

Placemaking

Creating placemaking projects

Neighborhood Identifiers

Murals, monuments, sign caps, signs and other ways neighborhoods mark themselves

Advocacy 101

How to have a voice and get traction on issues that matter to your neighborhood

Neighborhood Yard Sales

Examples of neighborhoods that organize yard sales and how they do ti

Contribute to the site

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility: IDEA

Neighorhoods are for everyone

Neighborhood Resources

Resources for neighborhoods

Neighborhood Examples

Examples of successful neighborhood-run initiatives

Neighborhoods around the World

Neighborhoods and District Coalitions around the region, country and world

Neighborhood Event Calendar

Neighborhood-focused events coming up

Neighborhood History

The history of neighborhood and district development

Newsletter Repository

A repository of neighborhood -based newsletters and articles

District Coalitions

Coalitions of neighborhood associations

Anatomy of a Neighborhood Association

* Board of Directors

* Members

* Bylaws

* Community Agreements

* Orientation & Training

* City integration

* District Coalition

* Website

* Digital Newsletter

* Physical Newsletter

* Committees

* Events

* Fundraisers

* Grantwriting

* Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility

* Cleanups

* Outreach

* Social Media

* Zoom and hybrid meetings

Anatomy of a District Coalition