Case Study - Portland, Oregon

Portland

Portland, Oregon is the largest city in the state and a major city in the Pacific Northwest, located along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Although the city is remarkable for its precedents in planning and growth management, it has had its fair share of challenges in sustaining its downtown and its waterfronts.

The Willamette River runs through the city, bisecting the central business district from its western portion. The decline of industry and the presence of national interstates along its banks made development a priority for the city in recent decades and remains to be currently.

Portland’s Eastbank Esplanade is a well-used riverfront park and trail that provides an innovative form of access and connectivity along and across the Willamette River, despite the presence of the massive Interstate 5 freeway just yards to the East. The Esplanade facilitates North-South movement along the East bank of the river, extends the Willamette Greenway trail that covers both sides of the Willamette for the entirety of downtown Portland, and provides public spaces for recreational activities and community events. Bicyclists, runners, commuters and fishers can be observed enjoying the space year-round.

The South Waterfront District is a mixed use redevelopment district being developed by the same developer that kickstarted the successful Pearl District development a decade ago. The latter development was aided by public investment in infrastructure and a TIF-funded streetcar line. The South Waterfront is similarly supported with TIF financing and will accompany an extension of the streetcar into land formerly used as shipbuilding yards and warehousing. The new neighborhood will consist of a mix of high-rise residential towers, ground level retail, academic buildings for several local universities, a riverfront trail and a public park.

Portland’s waterfront development projects are geared at creating active uses and aiding in linking Portland’s diverse neighborhoods and districts back to the rivers. The River Renaissance, run through the city’s planning department, is geared at planning and development for all things related to the Willamette river. The waterfront is viewed not as a discrete development project, but as an ongoing, layered approach to making the most of one of the city’s finest assets.

More Information:

http://www.portlandonline.com/planning/index.cfm?c=42540

http://www.portlandonline.com/river/

http://www.pdc.us/ura/river.asp