Mobile Workshop: History of Urban Renewal in Portland

Fifty years ago Portland did urban renewal like every other city, with results that were not much different. The objective of this tour is to see and hear how practices have changed and how this has affected the results for community members. The off-site presentations will not be webcast.

The mobile workshop begins at the Urban Center, with a view of the South Auditorium district, Portland’s first Urban Renewal area. Prof Carl Abbott (Portland Past & Present) briefly sets the scene for contrasting older and newer ways of pursuing community revitalization in Portland, explaining how urban renewal practices began to change with a political "revolution" in the 1970s, bringing new priorities, new political alliances, and, increasingly, new results for older neighborhoods and business districts. 

Next, we will ride the Interstate Max line through the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area, seeing various redevelopment projects along the way. We will disembark at the Killingworth Street Station, close to several redevelopment projects and the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center. There, we will engage in a discussion of how the Interstate Urban Renewal Area pursued innovative partnerships and engaged the community in the redevelopment process. We expect you to ask pointed questions about how these changing practices have benefitted the neighborhoods’ residents and businesses.