Bruce Studer, president of the Portland Pearl Neighborhood Association, brought an upbeat message to Pearl Rotary: The Pearl is experiencing a new vitality, and much of it is coming from efforts to build a stronger sense of community (9/1 meeting).
Studer described a neighborhood that is more than its restaurants, shops, parks, apartments and condominiums. The goal now is to help the 15,000 people who live in the Pearl connect and take greater advantage of the neighborhood’s many public spaces and amenities.
The main points of Bruce’s visit were echoed by the theme he posted on the Ecotrust screen: “Re-Ignite the Pearl.”
“The key thing we are trying to do is revitalize the Pearl…lots of cool things are going on.”
A big part of that effort is outreach—and bringing people together. From four events a year ago, the PPNA will have staged 33 when 2026 ends.
Among the activities Studer reviewed are a Sunday farmers market (3-4,000 people have regularly attended); group yoga in the Fields Park; and scheduled concerts and other community events. Each provides a different way for neighbors to get out, meet one another and enjoy the neighborhood together. (He previewed a “Light Up the Pearl” promotion planned for the holidays–“We’re going to make it the Peacock Lane of downtown Portland!”)
Studer emphasized the importance of making these activities welcoming and accessible to everyone. The objective isn’t simply to put on events; it is to create connections and help residents feel that they are part of a genuine neighborhood.
The neighborhood association is taking on the role of community convener—helping generate ideas, organize activities and create opportunities for neighbors to participate. Gatherings of different sizes and the shared experiences will build momentum and lead to an even more active neighborhood, he believes.
And it’s working, Studer boasted: “There’s a swagger in the Pearl again.”
Studer’s message was simple and positive: there is new energy in the Pearl, and the neighborhood association wants to help turn that energy into community. He further cited the newly formed Pearl Patrol, a volunteer effort on the streets of the community (15 walks a week have been recorded).
The effort was necessitated by the neighborhood’s challenges, many coming since 2020 and Covid’s negatives. Bruce said property values–for residents and businesses–have fallen 25% over the past four years.
“Between 2010 and 2020, there was no better place on the planet than the Pearl District.” His background gives him a wide perspective: Bruce was an active developer and planner in the first part of the 21st Century–an effort that “took an old railroad yard to one of the foremost redevelopment projects in the country.” He’s lived in the Pearl four years.
Negative publicity, of late, about the Pearl is another challenge for the neighborhood association, he outlined, including the controversy of a homeless, overnight shelter that opened–and will soon close–in the heart of the Pearl. The association board took no formal vote on the effort by Mayor Keith Wilson, he said, while admitting that the majority of its members opposed it. (Many attended an association-promoted meeting with the mayor that brought 600 people to the Portland Center Stage.)
“It was a bad idea,” he said of the shelter. “No amount of money and effort in itself could solve the problem.”
Bruce believes there’s a growing embrace of “Re-Igniting.”
“There is a desire for people to be involved. We create ideas for people to join in.”
(Want to review activities: see the events calendar live at pearldistrictevents.org)
