Urban design proposal for the South Waterfront District in downtown Portland, Oregon for master's in architecture design studio.
Organizing principles
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Organize taller land uses alongside the Marquam and Ross Island bridges.
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Connect the Terwilliger, Corbett, and Lair Hill neighborhoods to the Willamette River through a tree-lined parkway connection.
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Identify and organize public spaces around spatial centers created by bridge and roadway landmarks.
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Maintain Portland's compact, pedestrian-friendly block sizes and narrow streets.
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Weave together a compatible mix of light industrial, commercial, and residential land uses.
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Create development policies that encourage active ground floor uses and energize sidewalks/public spaces.
Proposals
My proposal restored the river's edge, made connections to the surrounding city grid, and dotted the area with urban parks.
Connect the surrounding neighborhoods
- Reconnect the Terwilliger, Corbett, and Lair Hill neighborhoods with the Willamette River by tunneling under the seemingly impenetrable I-5 freeway.
High-density urban housing
- Keep the downtown livable through higher-density residential and low-rise courtyard residential housing in the southern end of the district.
Block texture
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Place lower/thicker building masses along the freeway, thinner/taller masses along the bridges, and intricate fine-grained masses along the river.
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Create a unique neighborhood identity through varied block types, greenswards, view corridors, continuity of streets, and a mixture of low- to high-density land uses.
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Create a Waterfront Village south of the Ross Island Bridge at the terminus of a view corridor from downtown Portland.
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Place taller residential buildings and higher density uses at major south-end streets and intersections.
Bridge and waterfront parks
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Build parks under bridges; enliven bridge shadows with urban green space.
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Animate the waterfront and urban landmarks through lively people-places, active street corridors, and inviting soft natural features.
