Portland's annual "placemaking season" has begun!

Lead by City Repair, dozens of teams from all over town are busy designing structures, intersection paintings, pollinator habitat, and permaculture gardens for their neighborhoods. These projects will be implemented in a 10-day blitz, supported by hundreds of volunteers. Helping to build these projects is an excellent way to learn about natural building, sustainable gardening, and much more, and gives you the satisfaction of making a mark in your community.

Mark your calendar for the Village Building Convergence: June 3 - 12, 2016.

As most of the underused lots throughout central Portland are turned over to developers, some planners are thinking about ways to weave green space in to the growing density. A new type of linear park, known as the Green Loop, is a concept developed and promoted by the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

The Loop would provide a safe, navigable path linking each quadrant and spanning from the new Tillikum Crossing to the South to the Broadway Bridge to the North. The path would encourage walking, jogging, biking, rolling, and connecting to public transit. It would bring continuous tree canopy to areas of town with little green space or bird habitat. The proposal even includes a new pedestrian/bike bridge over I-84 at NE 8th Avenue.

The project is currently only a proposed concept, with minimal funding to get it started. Community groups are getting engaged by presenting the concept to the public and designing key nodes along the path. With community support, this idea may become the next big step in growing smarter as a city.

Read much more about the proposal HERE.