The newest addition to the city of Portland's Street Seats program is the result of a student team of designers and builders from Portland State University.
"On a recent June morning, the newest mini-park in Portland, known as the Fourth Avenue Parklet, was officially opened to the public," reports Karen O'Donnell Stein. The parklet is notable both as the first public parklet in Downtown Portland and as the work of the work of a team of students from the Portland State University School of Architecture. The student team designed, constructed, and installed the parklet.
According to O'Donnell Stein "the installation is intended to help revitalize this stretch of SW Fourth Avenue in the heart of the SoMa EcoDistrict (for 'South of Market Street'), giving students, faculty, and workers from surrounding offices a place to sit and enjoy their food-cart lunches in the sunshine, rather than racing back to their desks to eat."
FULL STORY: Portland officials welcome downtown’s first public parklet (video)
Portland Parklets Program Gets Kicked to the Curb
A pilot program introduced parklets to Portland last summer to seemingly widespread applause. Fearing the loss of parking, a group representing downtown business owners has successfully lobbied the city to cancel the program in the downtown core.
Portland Extends Pandemic Public Space Programs
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Portland State Invests $3 Million to Study Homelessness and Smart Cities
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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.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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