Portland Downtown Waterfront Development, Volume 1: Urban Design Proposals

99 pagesStudents in a graduate urban design studio based at the University of Oregon’s Portland campus were asked to create urban design redevelopment proposals for downtown Portland. Students began the term by analyzing the site as a team of eight groups assessing existing building typologies and dimensions, transportation infrastructure, environmental conditions, zoning requirements, history of the place and culture, physical aspects of the site, relevant urban design precedents, and by creating base drawings from which the class could then build upon throughout the term (see appendix for this analysis). The class was then divided into six groups, each of which developed an urban design development proposal for the same downtown site. The students worked together to draw from downtown Portland’s existing qualities while addressing challenges by proposing designs that could make the city’s center a more welcoming and vibrant area