A former industrial site on the edge of Portland, Oregon's urban core is planned with major urbanism ambitions.
Will Macht, a professor of urban planning and development at the Center for Real Estate at Portland State University, writes to describe a pioneering development process for a "live/work/make/eat/shop" superblock in Portland.
"Finding four-and-a-half city blocks, including the land formerly occupied by internal streets, only 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown Portland, Oregon, gave Seattle-based Security Properties the opportunity to develop the first project using the city’s new planned development review entitlement process established for large sites of over two acres (0.8 ha)," writes Macht.
The development, called Pepsi Blocks for its location at the former site of a Pepsi bottling plant, is planned to total 1.2 million square feet of space, comprising "up to 1,130 residential units, 450,000 square feet (42,000 sq m) of offices, and 30,000 square feet (2,800 sq m) of retail shops."
There's a lot more detail to the urbanism ambition of the development—like a shared street, or woonerf, on Pacific Street where it cuts through the development.
FULL STORY: Bringing Mixed Uses—and Open Space—to a Multiple-Small-Block Development in Portland
Cascadia Expects Millions of New Residents. Should it Build New Cities or New Density?
A recent report calls for the region stretching from Oregon to British Columbia to think big about accommodating expected population growth. The report's recommendation to build four new, large cities isn't universally accepted, however.
St. Paul Approves Master Plan for Thousands of New Jobs and Homes
A new neighborhood dubbed “The Heights” is planned for the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Draft West Portland Town Center Plan Seeks Public Comment
Always a closely watched planning jurisdiction, Portland, Oregon is proceeding with a new vision for the future of the western end of the city.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service