Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Gateway Ecodistrict Pilot Study, Michael Budds, Erin Reome, Dan Schauer, Aaron Wilson

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The Gateway EcoDistrict Pilot Study used site conditions, community priorities, and plans for future growth and development to recommend catalyst projects. The study’s objectives included raising awareness about the EcoDistrict concept, mapping physical and social assets conducive to an EcoDistrict, and identifying organizations interested in management of the pilot EcoDistrict. An assessment of opportunities and constraints to establishing an EcoDistrict in Gateway served as a corollary part of the study. This project was conducted under the supervision of Sumner Sharpe and Ellen Bassett.

Neighborhood Climate Action Planning Handbook, Hannah Dondy-Kaplan, Erica Timm, Beth Cohen, Dyami Valentine, Mariah Vanzerr, Devin Moller

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The City of Portland and Multnomah County are developing new plans and policies to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals of 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. To meet these new steep reduction targets, actions will be needed at every level of society. While neighborhoods have historically received little attention as a means of addressing climate change, they are ideally suited to bring people together to bridge the gap between individual actions and higher level government policies. To help neighborhoods develop strategies and actions to address climate change, C-Change Consultants worked with the Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition to create a Neighborhood …

Bin Half Full: Construction Waste Recycling Solutions, Mary L. Grothaus, Melissa Johnston, Shaun Roland, Christina Skellenger, Amy Twilegar

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

According to the City of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development (OSD), construction, remodeling, and demolition (CR&D) waste comprises 20 percent of the City’s waste stream. Additionally, per capita waste generation in this sector is increasing faster than in the residential or commercial sectors. However, the current amount of CR&D waste that is landfilled can be reduced: 90 percent of the waste from a typical project can be diverted from landfill disposal. Although OSD currently requires that 50 percent of CR&D waste from every project is recycled, the City estimates that contractors recycle slightly less than this. OSD’s Portland Recycles! Plan …

Gateway Gardens Site Analysis, Chris Gage, Rory Renfro, Jessica Sarver, Ben Sturtz, Nicole Wolters

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The Gateway Gardens Site Analysis takes a comprehensive look at a largely-vacant land area in Portland’s Gateway District. Currently owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), the 38-acre site currently serves as right-of-way for surrounding freeways, namely Interstates 84 and 205.

The project team developed a sequential process for completing this report. To gain an understanding of the project site, the initial step consisted of identifying key historical events and land uses that formed the site into what it is today. The team then conducted an in-depth existing conditions analysis, covering a wide range of elements including natural and …

Sustainable Options For Division Street, Matt Burlin, William Hawley, Alisa Kane, David Moser, Dana Visse

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

To reflect the Division Vision Coalition's (DVC) desire to promote neighborhood livability through sustainable development, Team Urbanics offered a series of community workshops in May 2004 that explored the concepts of sustainable development. The goals of the "Sustainable Options for Division Street" workshops were to:

• Provide DVC with an educational tool that enhances the public’s awareness of sustainable development options
• Encourage public participation in upcoming redevelopment planning efforts
• Promote sustainable practices, including environmental protection, economic development, and social equity, and
• Create a forum for civil discourse, for neighbors to meet neighbors, and for people to learn new things about their …

Shared-Resource Housing: A Contemporary Approach To Community Living, José Alvarez, Danelle Isenhart, Mike Liefeld, Jeff Thierfelder, Jesse Winterowd

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In February of2001, Sustainable Communities Northwest (SCNW), a local nonprofit housing developer specializing in sustainable development, contacted Portland State University's Planning Workshop with a request for assistance. Sustainable Communities Northwest was interested in the possibility of converting an apartment building into condominiums to create affordable homeownership opportunities for low-and moderate-income families. ]nspired by recent market rate cohousing projects in Portland and elsewhere, SCNW was also seeking to incorporate aspects of community-oriented housing into this development. Sustainable Communities Northwest was interested in evaluating if a sustainable, affordable, community-oriented condominium conversion concept would be feasible in the Portland area housing market.

Sustainable …

Holgate Lake Study: An Examination Of The Issues Associated With Groundwater Flooding, John J. Lynch Jr., Heidi A. Mader, Mark Mccann

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

This project examines Holgate Lake. Despite its natural hazard characteristics, the Holgate Lake area has not been immune to development pressure. Holgate Lake is an intermittent water body that forms when groundwater levels rise. Historical accounts show that the lake has formed at many different times in the last century. Because the lake fluctuates with the groundwater level, it is not necessarily present from year to year. As the area has developed, more and more people built in the location of the natural lakebed when the water was not present. When the lake level returned in the 1960's flooding of …

Rebuilding With Habitat: A Feasibility Study For A Portland Re-Store, Eli Spevak, Rebecca Newman, Barbara Linssen, Clint Wertz

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In September 1998 Habitat for Humanity's director asked our team to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of opening a Habitat Re-Store in Portland, a store that would re-sell used building materials. In addition to exploring that question in the traditional manner - considering issues of supply and demand, local competition and potential market niches -- we found ourselves compelled by a deeper exploration of the possibilities. Given that the store would be a Habitat for Humanity venture.... how could the store be utilized to improve people's lives... to empower and to educate... to both gain from and give …

Greening Our Cities: An Analysis Of The Benefits And Barriers Associated With Green Roofs, Stephanie Beckman, Sev Jones, Kevin Liburdy, Connie Peters

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

This document investigates green roofs as one piece in a larger strategy that should be taken to maintain the health of the natural environment and the quality of life experienced in Portland. By adding more greenspace to urban areas, green roofs have the potential to bring substantial benefits to our community through mitigating some of the negative impacts of development.

The conclusion reached regarding the feasibility of a widespread implementation of green roofs is that the barriers are not insurmountable (with the exception of retrofitting cost for intensive roof gardens in some cases). What is lacking, beyond a need for …