Historically, Albina was a thriving, affordable, and diverse neighborhood. Over the last 50 years, successive waves of urban renewal, interstate freeway construction, and a modern development framework that valued large, inwardly facing civic spaces displaced the people who lived there. The result is unacceptable. On the one hand, Albina is home to some of Portland’s most dynamic civic and entertainment venues—where many people come together. On the other hand, it is about 94 acres of central city real estate where some of our most conspicuous challenges converge: a lack of affordable housing; a maze of transportation infrastructure; a patchwork of private and public land ownership and topographic change that constrain pedestrian access to the east bank of the Willamette River; and finally, the painful reminder of the intergenerational damage of displacement.
The Albina Vision Community Investment Plan, initiated by Albina Vision Trust Inc. (AVT), seeks to create a framework for an inclusive community while healing the wounds of previous urban development that displaced and disempowered Portland’s Black community. We are building on the work of a wide range of community partners who created a development vision that lays the groundwork for investment. The vision is anchored by equitable public park spaces that seamlessly connect to the river and its surrounding neighborhoods. It is time to take the next step and transform the vision into action, coordinating and integrating community values and intentions with needed public, private, and community investment. The Albina Vision Community Investment Plan (AVCIP) aims to illustrate how a community anchored in sustained affordability, livability, and diversity can provide value to Lower Albina. Moreover, it will authentically involve the community in shaping a place that serves their needs while simultaneously considering financially feasible strategies for accomplishing this work over time.
The team was led by El Dorado. Agency assisted planning and led public realm design and landscape architecture. We also partnered with: Othello Meadows leading community engagement efforts; Cleo Davis & Kayin Talton Davis with community engagement, lead artists and bringing historic and policy-based research to the process; Dru Holley leading film production; Marc Norman and ECONorthwest providing economic analysis and community wealth building strategies; and WeShouldDoItAll for website design.
Select Awards
BSLA Merit Award in Analysis and Planning. 2022
ASLA Oregon Award of Excellence in Analysis and Planning/Research. 2022
AIA Central States Region, Honor Award in Regional and Urban Design. 2022
