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Greater Portland: Experiments With Professional Planning, 1905-1925, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland, Oregon grew so rapidly in population and wealth between 1905 and 1912 that the city's business leadership called for a systematic plan for future urban growth. The City Improvement League accepted the architectural recommendations of Edward H. Bennett to develop outward from the city's center through a series of government buildings, neighborhood parks, and parkways. Unfortunately, the local economic boom collapsed in 1912 and ended any chances of implementing Bennett's plan. Six years later, prosperity returned and a new architectural proposal by Charles Cheney gained acceptance, only to be subverted by the post-World War I economic slump.