Portland's Environmental Urban Design

Ecotrust is transforming a century-old industrial building in Portland's river district into a environmental marketplace.

1 minute read

December 18, 2000, 11:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Ecotrust plans to transform a 100 year old industrial building in the heart of Portland's river district into a marketplace for environmentally conscious ideas and products. The building plans to accomplish three primary goals: (1) to participate in the restoration of an urban ecosystem; (2) to advance the arts of ecological design; and (3) to forge new urban-rural links. "With a generous gift from Jean Vollum, a leading Oregon philanthropist and founding Ecotrust board member, Ecotrust acquired the 80,000-square-foot Rapid Transfer & Storage Co. building, a two-story brick-and-timber warehouse, in February 1998. By spring of the year 2000, it will become the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, a marketplace for the ideas, goods, and services of the emerging conservation economy."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Friday, December 15, 2000 in Ecotrust

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

4 hours ago - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

5 hours ago - Nevada Current

View of downtown Pittsburgh, PA with river and bridge in foreground at dusk.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units

Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.

5 hours ago - Axios