How quickly another contract year has gone by, as the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe Board and operations team have worked hard on many projects and services to complement the continued growth and rebuilding of our downtown core.
This contract year brought a completely new form of government to the City of Portland, our key municipal partner in the Enhanced Service District (ESD) program. A key ingredient in our organization’s success is a high-functioning partnership built on clear scopes of work, accountability, and a genuine desire to problem-solve in a continually challenging economic climate. As Clean & Safe has done throughout our 37-year history, we worked at all levels with our new City Council to maintain, grow, and form new relationships and partnerships — all with the goal of maximizing limited resources to provide the highest level of service to our ESD ratepayers and the entire community that enjoys downtown Portland.
While we and the broader downtown area continued to grapple with Portland Police Bureau staffing challenges and long patrol response times, we worked in full collaboration with Central Precinct to maintain the significant gains we’ve made in reducing organized, higher-level drug dealing and open-air drug markets. We are proud of this partnership and of serving as extra eyes and ears for our public safety partners. The strength of our Public Safety Program — and this partnership in particular — helped earn Downtown Portland Clean & Safe and our security vendor, GardaWorld, the “Outstanding Security Partnership Award” at the 2025 Global Security Exchange conference in New Orleans. We are proud and humbled by this honor, which reflects several years of work with GardaWorld to reshape and modernize our public safety program.
Another exciting development in our core services is the continued expansion of our placemaking and activation role downtown. The Clean & Safe Activations Team increased both the number and variety of events held each month at Director Park, further strengthening our partnership with the Parks Bureau and this effective public-private collaboration. Darcelle XV Plaza is our next partnership location, and this contract year brought continued design and implementation planning as we work toward its opening and our activation programming in 2026.
Our continued investment in placemaking and activation helped bring renewed energy, connection, and joy to the downtown core. In 2025, the Clean & Safe Activations Team expanded Portland’s signature street tree lighting and produced engaging seasonal experiences such as the Bloom Tour, Buskathon, Summer in the City, and Downtown for the Holidays — creating more reasons for people to visit, linger, and support downtown businesses. This momentum was reflected in growing foot traffic, with several Saturdays in 2025 surpassing comparable 2019 levels. The Board also adopted an official Placemaking Policy, giving staff a clear framework for evaluating, pursuing, and prioritizing future events and activations. Together, these efforts strengthened downtown as a vibrant gathering place and reinforced the vital role thoughtful programming and public-space activation play in Portland’s continued recovery.
Finally, our direct partnership with the mayor’s office and the outstanding City of Portland staff at Portland Solutions and the Portland Environmental Management Office continues to provide vital outreach and services to our most vulnerable Portlanders, while improving overall livability and conditions for the residents, businesses, and visitors in our District. This work is difficult and challenging, but we are seeing improvement across key safety and livability metrics, and we remain committed to our core mission: retaining businesses and residents, and attracting new business, development, and thousands more visitors to enjoy all that downtown Portland has to offer. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to downtown Portland — we are at your service.
