DESIGN + PLANNING TOOLS FOR GROWING COMMUNITIES

The PDX Main Street Design Initiative is a coalition of community and business leaders, architects, designers, planners, artists and community advocates. We are a project under the Richmond Neighborhood and fiscally sponsored under SE Uplift. For more than seven years we've been working to raise design literacy and create planning tools that empower community members to manage growth and change. By helping communities understand the nuances of how design makes good density, they are more able to support greater growth with better outcomes and more expedient processes with development that is more supported, and save time and cost.

We've been working with neighborhoods across Portland to create main street design guidelines that can apply to any main street. Find out how we're helping communities identify their design goals and priorities. 

Design guidelines, neighborhood design review, development engagement, visioning, workshops and events - we've got many tools for you!  

Big policy projects at the City are at work. As our city grows up, do we have clear goals for the design of our streets and buildings? How can community members have a voice in how new development happens? How do we support affordability and diversity while we grow and add needed amenities and services? 

Design is key to adding better density and minimizing impacts to livability, affordability, quality, displacement, climate, and sustainability. We've been gathering recommendations from communities and now are advocating for a greater voice for all in the way we grow our City.