Portland, OR
Whole-Systems Thinking
This visionary plan for 35 blocks in Portland adds an astounding 8 million square-feet of new construction – a five-fold increase – while shifting environmental performance to that of a pristine Northwest forest. These seemingly contradictory goals were achieved with an innovative district-scale approach integrating energy, water, climate and habitat.
Economic Resilience
Using deep sustainability to strengthen identity, this underutilized inner-city district dominated by parking lots transformed into a vibrant and desirable place to work and live. Feasibility tests proved return-on-investment could be reinvested in a ‘Resource Management Association’ to meet district goals by 2050. Initiatives like an E-Fleet pilot program and ‘living machine’ treating wastewater connect people and mimic natural conditions.
Inspiring Action
Predating LEED for Neighborhood Development, the study introduced “predevelopment metrics”– environmental performance benchmarks of carrying capacity prior to development – and prompted stakeholders to think beyond property lines. Its ground-breaking influence was seminal to the EcoDistricts movement.
