Elizabeth Morehead

Efforts to Curtail the Spread of Adult Entertainment in Portland, Oregon, through the Use of Public Policy and Urban Planning, 1970-1987

Like many American cities, Portland attempted to use urban planning and policy to control the geographic spread of adult entertainment during the 1970s. Portland’s efforts, however, were complicated by Oregon’s famously liberal state constitution. City Hall, the City Attorney, and the Planning Bureau spent nearly two decades trying to find a solution that would please angry city residents without violating the state constitution. As city officials worked to find a unique solution for their city, the technology used to disseminate adult entertainment was changing. Technological change was more rapid than policy change. The regulations ultimately adopted by the city did not fit the new landscape of adult businesses.