Creative Civics

Access to information is key to making change, but important policy decisions are often couched in difficult-to-comprehend language, which creates inequities in how their effects are distributed. 

We thought we'd do our small part towards fixing that problem by making complex problems simple, using language that regular people understand, like cat videos.   

5 Things you should know about homelessness in portland

Catsplaining Portland's Government

how a hole in the housing market perpetuates homelessness

Congestion Pricing Primer

Like many other cities on the West Coast, a large number of Portland residents experience homelessness. But the debate over solutions to the issue has become heated, and many people on both sides of it don’t have all the facts.

We created this video as a primer for a more productive conversation about what to do.

People like to say, "keep Portland weird,' but one of the strangest things in Portland is its convoluted system of government.

How does it work in 2023? Well, it's complicated. So complicated, actually, that we thought we'd try to explain it. With the help of a few cats. 

Portland and many other cities are in a housing emergency that has left thousands of residents living on the street. It begs the question: why don’t we just build more affordable housing?

The answer is… it’s complicated.

Portland is preparing to implement a controversial tolling scheme on the city's highways. Details are still in the works. 

We thought we'd help inform the public by creating this primer to break down what's being considered, and what some of the implications are.