The triple £400 million megaproject set to transform major city | World | News
A major US city is currently undergoing a significant transformation as three megaprojects totaling a staggering £400 million are underway.
Portland, Oregon is at the centre of massive regeneration projects aimed at creating more sustainable, better connected urban neighbourhoods.
Two of the megaprojects focus on on the downtown and central eastside areas of Portland, whereas the third is to reclaim the 95-acre Lower Albina neighbourhood around the Rose Quarter. Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Metro Chamber, called them “a big, big deal” during a panel discussion last week.
New building caps over the busy road will support new affordable housing projects, employment-related developments, and public spaces.
The federal government reserved £352 million for the project, while the Portland Bureau of Transportation has pitched in £29 million, and the Oregon Legislature has given £19 million. Portland Public Schools has also agreed to sell its headquarters there to the Albina Vision Trust for affordable housing projects.
Another one of the megaprojects involves the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry planning a new 24-acre neighborhood along the east bank of the Willamette River.
This land will be home to a transit-oriented, mixed-use development including 1,200 units of affordable and market-rate housing, employment-related developments, and public spaces. It needs £17 million to improve infrastructure, and has the goal of generating £940 million in annual economic output.
The third project is being spearheaded by Prosper Portland, the former Portland Development Commission, and intends to turn the former US Post Office site and surrounding properties at the west end of the Broadway Bridge into a new neighbourhood.
The 34-acre Broadway Corridor Project envisions a mixed-use development with housing and employment opportunities, connecting the Pearl District and Old Town/Chinatown neighborhoods.
A focus is making sure those who haven’t previously benefitted from urban projects are able to make the most of this one, and there is a transport network at the heart of it that will connect the area. Light rail, streetcars, and buses will service the area, with multiple stops of each mode within as little as 1/8 of a mile.
Zari Santner on the Portland Design Review Commission said the projects could take 20 to 30 years to complete, but are on track to be done sooner.
