The Park

For any newcomer, reading the city map, Waterfront Park leaps out as one of Portland’s most important civic spaces. Its position on the west bank of the Willamette River, close to Downtown, seems promising. You might expect to find here an expansive green space drenched in reflected river light juxtaposed with a buzzy urban district; a place full of people having a good time. Yet the reality is somewhat different.

It is true that at the height of the festival season (March to October) cultural events in the Park, such as the Rose Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, and the Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade successfully attract thousands of people. The Portland Saturday Market also draws weekly visitors to enjoy the best of Portland’s arts, crafts and food offerings, and thousands of visitors come to see the Japanese American Historical Plaza’s beloved cherry trees in bloom in springtime.

That said, the Park, in itself, does not satisfy Portlanders or visitors with a memorable sensory or cultural experience. Most of the year it has a limited following, used mainly as a popular walking and cycling corridor during the day, and with few takers in the evening.

There is no reason to stay – the Park lacks the amenities, accessibility, and river connections needed to give it appeal to residents, families, workers and visitors. It lacks ambience, animation, and spirit of place. Frustratingly, the river is not accessible, except at the Bowl area. As an amenity, the Park needs defined spaces that can be activated as well as basic infrastructure – standardized power and level spaces or hardscape that would enable it to accommodate a variety of operators and enhance its event offerings.

Long-term funding pressures have resulted in a free public space that is underwhelming, unwelcoming and, at times, unsafe. The Park’s potential remains dormant, visitor expectations fall short, and the Park and Downtown fail to relate to each other and sustain each other in a mutually beneficial way.

Design Challenge

At the second stage, the competition will seek proposals to envision how Waterfront Park can become an inclusive, activated public space and year-round destination for Portlanders to gather, enjoy events and everyday use.

This will be an exemplary urban waterfront park project that builds on Portland’s public realm legacy, demonstrates leadership in environmental stewardship and promotes design excellence.

Competitors will be asked to engage in two areas of investigation:

• Site 1: a concept plan for the whole 30-acre Park that responds to the aims and objectives set out in this document. Designers will create proposals for an exemplary public space that should integrate placemaking, landscape design and provide spaces and structures for activation and accommodating flexible programming throughout.
• Site 2: a focus area with detailed concept design proposal for the Waterfront Bowl area (from South Harbor Drive up to Salmon Street Springs Fountain), including defined venue space within the landscaped Bowl to improve its year-round activation and a new dedicated landing and changing facilities to enable in-water sports. 
  Note: the intention is that Site 2 will be taken forward into Schematic Design as the post-competition award for the competition winner

Themes

Key to the design challenge at the second stage is rethinking the relationship between community, visitors and the Willamette River’s landscape.

The following summarize key thematic considerations for the project site:

• Defined areas for outdoor events and civic gatherings. The Bowl and the wider Park will include regional destination spaces to accommodate public programming, ranging from large-scale events and festivals through to group-sized community activities, and how those events may increase the potential for ​“spillover” into the Downtown grid.
• River access. The Bowl shoreline will provide safe, inclusive and accessible water access, supporting river recreation and swimming, along with amenities to encourage active river recreation and play.
• Integration of nature and habitat. The project will restore and enhance the river-edge ecology by regrading banks, planting native riparian vegetation, creating shallow water zones for fish and wildlife, and improving upland zone biodiversity.
• Flexible, everyday park use. The Park will serve as a welcoming, year-round neighborhood destination for residents, workers, and visitors. To support daily activity and seasonal use, this may include retail, café or restaurant spaces.
• Willamette River Greenway Trail. The project will maintain and improve a critical link along the Willamette River Greenway Trail, improving circulation and the overall experience for trail and park users.

Full details on the competition parameters for the second stage can be found in the Search Statement document – available as part of the Request for Qualifications documentation through the City of Portland’s Ariba portal.