‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Portland Made Its River Cool — Presented By City Cast Madison

How often are you out in nature in Madison? It’s not always easy to know which natural resources are clean and safe to use in an urban setting, and city rivers get a particularly bad rap. It’s true that cities have had eras of sewage mishandling and high boat traffic — but many have also cleaned up their act, through the tireless work of local advocates and politicians. Portland, OR, is one of those cities, and City Cast Portland host Claudia Meza joins this episode of Your City Could Be Better to debunk the assumptions and fears about her city’s river, the Willamette. Learn all about how a journalist-turned-governor led the charge to clean up Portland's waterfront, and how a quirky organizer — and lots of enthusiastic swimmers — have carried the torch.

Mentioned on the show:

• Portland’s riverfront park, named after former Governor Tom McCall
• Swiss residents using river to swim home from work
• RFK Jr. swimming (in jeans) in Rock Creek in Washington, D.C.

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