Midtown

Blocks
Urban
Design
Proposal
from the hills
to the river

December 2014

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Midtown Blocks have long been
a gap in Portlands vision for a string
of parks running from the north
end of downtown to the south. The
City was never able to acquire the all
the blocks and has only built parks
on two of the eight blocks. The
rest are developed with a variety of
buildings and uses.
This report proposes abandoning
the north/south orientation of the
Park Blocks and, instead, using the
Midtown Blocks as a permeable
urban environment in which to
create the east/west connections the
central city needs.
These east/west connections
will draw a growing residential
population in the West End through
the Park Blocks to retail and jobs in
downtown.
This report proposes a phased
development that includes adopting
design guidelines that create a high
quality streetscape and identifying
three particular east/west streets to
be developed as easily recognizeable
pedestrian thoroughfares.

The Problem
What should be done with the
blocks between the North and
South Park Blocks?
While the original vision for the
Park Blocks was of one continous
string of parks from north to
south, that is not currently possibe
with buildings occupying most of
the remaining Midtown Blocks.
Therefore, the City needs to create a
plan for the future development of
these blocks.
The character of the Park Blocks
changes through downtown. The
South Park Blocks (area 1) are
very green, wooded, and have an
institutional character. The Midtown
Blocks (area 2) are intensely urban.
The North Park Blocks (area 3) are
shaded and somewhat unwelcoming.
While the original vision
concluded at the North Park
Blocks, contemporary visionaries
have endeavored to connect the
park blocks all the way to the
northernmost riverbank. This link
is interrupted by a stretch with no
parks (area 4), then picks up again
in the Pearl District with three
veery different styles of parks
interwoven into a mixed use urban
neighborhood (area 5).

Over time, the original North and

South Parks Blocks developed
indepentendly of each other. The
South Park Blocks became more
institutional while the North Park
Blocks remained largely residential
until the decline of the nearby
rail yard. Today the South Park
Blocks serve a growing residential
population while the North Park
Blocks are largely empty.

The Midtown Blocks are

surrounded by some of the most
active blocks in the city, but have
suffered neglect due to their
confused purpose and the failure
of the City to follow through
on implementing a development
strategy. This sets the tone for the
area and is difficult to overcome in
the institutional memory of people.

Background
of downtown Portland.
Without the Midtown connection,
the Park Blocks have developed
independently, with different
characters and uses not as a spine to
downtown
CHANGING NEEDS
Portland has changed a great deal
since the proposal of the Park
Blocks in the 1850s. The age of the
ship and train has come and gone,
replaced by the personal automobile,
which dramatically changed the
fabric of downtown with its demand
for parking. Portland has installed
mass transit in the forms of buses,
streetcars, and light rail. The city has
expanded well beyond the east bank
of the Willamette River and is now
home to over 600,000 people.
EARLY VISION
The concept of the Park Blocks
existed even in the early years of
Portland. Lownsdale set aside a
string of blocks from his holdings to
be turned into open space. Ladd did
the same with his land to the north,
but Stark refused to contribute land
from his much smaller plat between
the two. As a result, there was
inevitably going to be a small gap
in the Park Blocks, but the City of

Portland hoped to acquire the land

as it became available.
Unfortunately, when Lownsdale
and his wife died without wills, the
remaining handful of Lownsdale
blocks that had not yet been
developed into parks were sold
off by the family. At that time, the
City had just begun to buy land for
Washington Park and, without the
budget for acquisition, passed on

their chance to purchase the final

blocks. The fate of the Midtown
Blocks seemed to be sealed.
A HOLE IN THE FABRIC
For decades, the plight of the
Midtown Blocks has hounded
the City. Several plans and visions
address their development, most
advocating for completing the
original vision of a promenade of
parks that extends the entire length

The city has also gained a global

reputation as a livable city that
emphasizes sustainability wherever
it can. This has all made it a very
attractive place to live and the region
anticipates over 2 million additional
people in the next two decades.
Portland will need to become denser
as well as more efficient about its
provision of resources.

Existing Conditions
Most of downtown Portland and
the Midtown Blocks in particular, is
zoned for mixed use, meaning these
blocks must meet a variety of needs.
The Midtown Blocks are adjacent
to a residential neighborhood, a
retail core, a cultural core and within
walking distance of the office and
government blocks of downtown
and the densest neighborhood in the
city: the Pearl District.
It is a heavily studied area of
downtown, subject to many
plans, designs, and visions. The
Central City Concept 2035 and
West Quadrant Plan distill the

expectations of broader plans and

inform the scope and structure of
more focused plans.
HUMAN SCALE
The study area has a unique
characteristic in downtown in that,
instead of the traditional 200 x
200 blocks, the Park Blocks are
half blocks and the streets on either
side, SW 9th and SW Park Avenue,
are also narrower than surrounding
streets. The two form a couplet, one
flowing north, the other south, each
with one lane of traffic and two
lanes of parking. These narrower
streets, around narrower blocks,

are even more human scale than

Portlands typical blocks (which
are already hailed as very walkable
and welcoming), begging for more
human activity and a very special
development.
TRANSIT CONNECTIONS
Portland already has a many north/
south connections and downtown
alone has five (out of 13) north/
south streets dedicated to the
streetcar and MAX. Broadway
is a softer connection, but still
noteworthy and the Park Blocks
and Waterfront create two more
soft north/south connections. In

Existing Conditions
contrast, downtown Portland only
has two east/west MAX streets and
two bicycle streets (which dont
even run the whole breadth of
downtown).
RETAIL
The Midtown Blocks are flush with
a variety of reatil including regional
anchors and local businesses. The
streets are lined with restaurants
and shops and the area is a popular
place for developing hotels. The area
houses the Fox Tower and is a block
away from Pioneer Place Mall, both
of which host entertainment, dining,
and shopping opportunities.

ARCHTECTURAL VARIETY
This area of town includes a large
variety of architecture that spans
two centuries of development.
The level of investment in the
blocks and the popularity of the
area has ensured that several older
buildings have been preserved
and/or rehabilitated. To the north,
the blocks are characterized by
exteremly tall, modern construction.
HEIGHT
This are of downtown is part of the
red crescent, meaning it is where
some of the tallest buildings are
allowed to be built. Adjacent to the

west is a zone of the second tallest

height allowances. This creates an
ideal synergy among the various
uses of a downtown: residential,
employment, retail, and civic.
DESTINATIONS
These blocks are home to or
adhacent to several important
Portland civic and retail destinations.
These include Nordstrom, Target,
Pioneer Place, Pioneer Square,
several government buildings, the
art museum, and the central library.
These create regional draws while
setting the Midtown Blocks up as a
funnel of sorts.

Recommendation
While it is tempting to hold to
sentimental visions, Portland needs
to abandon the emphasis on using
the Midtown Blocks to complete
the Park Blocks, focusing instead
on developing more east/west
connections. While no plans have
necessarily recommended this for
the Midtown Blocks, the plans for
downtown and the central city are
very clear in their expectation that
downtown Portland will develop
more east/west connections.

DRAW PEOPLE THROUGH

The West End is a largely residential
neighborhood to the west of the
Park Blocks that has been targeted
for immense housing growth
in response to the population
increase Portland will experience.
To the east of the Park Blocks
is downtown Portlands retail,
commercial, and employment
core. Portlands downtown retail
These new east/west connections
requires more people to support
should connect both banks of the
it, which can come from additional
Willamette River as parts of the
central city, therefore, they should be residents of the West End. Those
conceptualized as extending beyond residents will need access to
shopping, entertainment, and jobs
Front Street to the east bank.
ORIENT TO THE RIVER
The plans also call for more
orientation to the river, recognizing
the river and the waterfront as
underutilized resources. This
indicates east/west connections
from the hills to the river rather
than additional parallel north/south
connections.

Recommendation
in downtown and they will need
to cross the South Park Blocks to
get there. The Midtown Blocks in
particular, connect to the retail core
and should become more porous to
pedestrians, drawing them eastward.
FUTURE IMPACTS
The West Quadrant Plan proposes
two large projects that will directly
impact the Midtown Blocks. The
Green Loop will be a cycle track
that loops downtown and the
central city. Part of it will run
along the Park Blocks, therefore,
development in the Midtown Blocks

should prepare for that. Also, the

proposed freeway cap would be
sited between Lincoln High School
and the Midtown Blocks, potentially
feeding even more people through
the blocks on their way to the retail
core, waterfront and beyond.
EMPHASIZE STREETSCAPE
A great deal of downtown land is
streets, which the City owns and has
control over. Streets are the most
efficient way for the City to effect
change in the Midtown Blocks.
Development in the Midtown
Blocks should only be done with an

eye to the pedestrian atmosphere of

the area. These blocks are already
the most human scale in the city and
that should be capitalized upon.
The streetscape should prioritize
people over vehicles. In order to
underscore the new east/west
connections and draw West End
residents through, these blocks need
to be attractive to people. They need
to employ the very best street design
techniques available today. This is
part of creating a sustainable, livable
city, which supports Portlands
reputation.

Proposal
A phased development of the
streetscape of Park Avenue and SW
9th and along adjacent blocks of
Salmon, Alder, and Stark.
Phase 1
Design Guidelines
Phase 2
South Midtown
Phase 3
Central Midtown
Phase 4
North Midtown

Outcome & Results

1. The Midtown Blocks develop
relative to the adjacency and health
of their particular phase
2. The identity of the Midtown
Blocks is maintained through
common design guidelines
3. Segementing the Midtown Blocks
into chewable phases allows
for them to develop in a way that
reflects their position in the city and
downtown

Phase 1: Design Guidelines

Create a design district and develop
design guidelines that will dictate
the high quality and character of
streetscape around the Park Blocks
and adjacent blocks.
Apply them at two levels: primary
and secondary. Primary design
guideliness will have more
instructions and apply to the blocks
of Park Ave, SW 9th, as well as
adjacent blocks east and west on
Salmon, Alder, and Stark. Secondary
design guidelines will have fewer
instructions and apply the the other
adjacent blocks to the east and west
of Park Ave and SW 9th.

Proposed guidelines
1. Designate a design district or multiple districts around the Park Blocks and adjacent blocks of Salmon, Alder,
and Stark.
2. Emphasize facade improvements such as cleaning, painting, use of awnings and hanging signs, and
incorporation of lighting to highlight architectural details.
3. Remove curbs and use a paving pattern such as that of Director Park to create a more pedestrian environment.
4. Cretae uniform elements such as art, colors, street furniture, awnings , or paving that are applied to Salmon,
Alder, and Stark in order to highlight them with a different character from the other east/west streets.
5. Reduce Salmon, Alder, and Stark to one lane for cars and a smaller lane for bicycles, using a median to separate
the two. Return the extra space to the pedestrian realm.
6. Emphasize corners and install terminus and gateway structures.

Phase 2: South Midtown

Existing Conditions/Analysis
The South Midtown Blocks abut
Portlands cultural district, lending
them a more institutional character
These blocks have already seen a
great deal of recent development
and this zone has strong retail,
plenty of parking, and one of
downtown Porlands newest civic
spaces: Director Park.
This zone is well connected with
transit via east and west MAX lines
as well as north and south streetcar
routes. These blocks have very
strong retail that spills over from
adjacent streets.

Anchor retail centers such as Fox

Tower and Nordstrom are already a
strong draw and Park Avenue West
will provide hundreds of new jobs.
Director Park is complete and has
set an expectation for the quality of
pedestrian atmosphere.
Yamhill and Morrison are healthy
and vibrant with retail and activity
due to MAX lines on both streets.

Design intervention proposal

Create a business improvement
district that includes shops that face
the Park Blocks as well as businesses
one block east and west of the Park
Blocks.
Emphasize Salmon as the street
in this zone to be developed as an
easily identifable pedestrian route.
Apply the primary street design
guidelines to Salmon, Park Avenue,
and SW 9th and the secondary street
deisgn guidelines to Taylor, Yamhill,
and Morrison.

Keep the parking structure as it

provides valuable parking, but
reimagine it with a lively facade by
adding murals, color, lighting, and
different stairwell railings.
Open the ground floor of the
parking structure along Yamhill,
9th, and Morrison to create an open
market. This could be a potential
home for food carts in order to
develop the parking lot at Alder
and SW 10th. It could also serve
as a complementary market for
the Morrison Bridgehead project,
further underscoring another east/
west connection.

Phase 3: Central Midtown

Existing Conditions/Analysis
The Central Midtown Blocks feel
slightly less developed than the
south blocks. These blocks include a
surface parking lot that is currently
very busy with foodcarts.
These blocks are primarily historic
architecture and have a great deal of
retail, but no unifying character. An
empty historic building at Park and
Alder disrupts the flow on Park Ave.
Due to the lack of activity around it
OBryant Square experiences social
problems that make it univiting and
sometimes dangerous.

Conditions to build upon

Like the rest of the Midtown
Blocks, these central blocks benefit
from good connectivity with the
streetcar and well-maintained streets.
These blocks have a great deal
of healthy, old architecture and
destination uses such as restaurants,
hotels, and retail. They benefit from
the energy of the adjacent foodcart
block.
Though OBryant Square has
problems, people generally agree on
that and have a desire to improve it.

Design intervention proposal

Create a business improvement
district that includes shops that face
the Park Blocks as well as businesses
one block east and west of the Park
Blocks.
Emphasize Alder as the street in
this zone to be developed as an
easily identifable pedestrian route.
(Alternate road: Washington so as
not to take up too many of the eastbound streets in Midtown.)
Apply the primary street design
guidelines to Alder, Park Avenue,
and SW 9th and the secondary

street design guidelines to Morrison,

Washington, and Stark.
With the design guidelines in place,
sell OBryant Square. This takes
the park off the Citys budget and
adds money to the budget for the
area. The sale places the expense of
rebuilding on the developer, but the
design guidelines still get the City a
high quality streetscape and active
open space.

Phase 4: North Midtown

Existing Conditions/Analysis
North Midtown has a confused
character. A surface parking lot
shares Stark with OBryant Square
and both historic buildings and tall
office buildings line Park Ave and
SW 9th. While the historic buildings
have charming facades, the large
office buildings have empty walls.
These blocks are further hobbled
by the high volume of traffic
on Burnside, which discourages
pedestrian traffic from the North
Park Blocks and diminishes this
area of Midtowns capacity as a
destination.

Conditions to build upon

North Midtowns greatest strength
in terms of redevelopment is its
proximity to both the Pearl District
and the Saturday Market blocks of
Old Town. If they can be crafted as
a destination, these northern blocks
can benefit by drawing pedestrians
east from Northwest and the Pearl
District and west from Old Town.

Design intervention proposal

Create a business improvement
district that includes shops that face
the Park Blocks as well as businesses
one block east and west of the
blocks.

These blocks also benefit from

multimodal connections such as
the streetcar, bike lanes, and wellmaintained streets.

Apply the primary street design

guidelines to Stark, Park Avenue,
and SW 9th and the secondary
design guidelines to Oak and Pine.

Emphasize Stark as the street in this

zone to be developed as an easily
identifable pedestriNan route.

Consider Ankeny Park as a Times

Square type destination as it is a
central point on downtown Portland
geography with many roads leading
right to it.
Devise a development strategy for
the surface parking lot. Perhaps
incentivize development by
subsidizing the development of
underground parking that, like the
Whole Foods parking, spans Stark.

Implementation
Form Based Code
The first phase of this development
is to create a new design district with
new design guidelines that apply at
two different levels: primary and
secondary streets.
The Midtown Blocks are an ideal
place to use form based code. This
would be a small scale exploration
of a new style of zoning for
Portland.
Form based code can be used in
conjuction with formal zoning and/
or traditional design guidelines,
providing a great deal of flexibility
for Portland to realize the ultimate
goal of a high quality streetscape
and porous pedestrian zone.

Funding
In a time of shrinking budgets
and diminishing confidence in the
Portland Development Commission,
Portland needs to approach funding
for this project creatively and not
assuming that PDC will continue in
its current form.
A primary source of funding for
this phased development will come
from the assessments collected in
each phases business improvement
district. Money collected by each
BID will only be used in that areas
boundaries and the BIDs will be
renewed or dissolved after a certain
amount of time.
Another way to fund development
in Midtown is with variable parking
rates. Downtown Portland charges
a flat rate for parking regardless of
day or time of day. Increase rates
during peak hours, days or events
and apply the additional revenue
to either a phase-specific fund or a
general Midtown development fund.
Additional money will be raised by
the sale of OBryant Square and
further money mau be available
from Parks and Recreation.

Key Players
Several parties will be involved in
the redevelopment of the Midtown
Blocks.
1. The Portland Development
Comission
2. The Bureau of Planning and
Sustainability
3. The Bureau of Transportation
4. Parks and Recreation
5. Property owners
6. Business owners
7. The Downtown Neighborhood
Association
8. The Clean and Safe District
9. Local planners, developers,
architects, landscape architects,
placemakers, and residents

Timeline
Though the Park Blocks vision has
been over 200 years in the making,
the reality is that redevelopment of
the Midtown Blocks needs to move
forward in order to stay ahead of
development in the West End.
Designation of a design district
and drafting of design guidelines
and form based code should be
completed in the next few years.
The City has already lost a chance
to enforce guidelines on the
Park Avenue West development,
which will create a small wrinkle
in the new fabric. It may be wise
to put a moratorium on new
development until the guidelines are
in place, though this risks stalling
development if the City lags.
The remaining three phases will
take decades to complete because
streetscape changes usually only
happen with new development and
the City will have to wait as that
occurs in its own cycle. Certain
beautifcation improvements such
as facade treatments and hanging
baskets can happen right away, but
it may take many decades to get
from a Salmon green street to the
Burnside crossing.

Kate Washington
December 10, 2014
ARCH521 - Urban Design Methods
Portland State University
Special thanks to Don Stastny and Patricia Gardner