91视频

A frequent concern for Gerding Edlen CEO Mark Edlen is the impression that the Portland-based development company’s projects will make on neighborhoods.

鈥淲e used to think sustainability was a big deal, but today for us it’s building communities,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think people are looking for more, richer ways to interact. To us, that’s what we think community is about. We think the buildings that we build have an enormous impact.鈥�

With Portland communities in flux because of a boom in development, Edlen on Thursday joined three other industry professionals on a panel to discuss how to create inclusive, livable neighborhoods across the city. The 鈥�Designing Better Neighborhoods鈥� event was hosted by Design Museum Portland at the Portland office of engineering firm Glumac.

Panelist and moderator Randy Gragg, executive director of the University of Oregon’s John Yeon Center, steered the discussion toward topics that included identifying ways to improve East Portland and addressing concerns about demolitions of older residences.

鈥淲e have a lot of heartburn going on in terms of change in historic neighborhoods,鈥� Gragg said.

Panelist Jeff Stuhr, co-founder of Portland-based Holst Architecture, said it’s important for architects to investigate whether it’s possible to save an existing building or replace it with a thoughtful design.

鈥淲e’ve yet to elevate that conversation beyond historic preservation,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we take down buildings and replace them with inefficient buildings, that’s not what we want to do. I think we need to change the conversation. I think this process of renewal and growth is natural.鈥�

Acknowledging neighborhood opposition to development is crucial, said panelist DeAunne Denmark, a Pacific Northwest College of Art instructor who teaches a course that applies the principles of cognitive and behavioral neuroscience to design thinking.

鈥淵ou get this vehement pushback, and it’s often because they want to feel like they have a stake in it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you don’t design well for the culture that’s in place you see these problems come out around it. The design process itself has to change. If the neighborhood itself wants historic preservation, it behooves you to find out why.鈥�

The longevity of a development is one reason why its design must consider the larger impact, Edlen said.

鈥淚n our industry it’s very capital intensive; there’s a tremendous amount of risk,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of the things we talk about a lot (is) 鈥� it’s a 100- to 200-year asset. It’s going to be around for a long time.鈥�

Panelists also discussed ways to create better neighborhoods in underdeveloped areas in Portland east of 82nd Avenue.

鈥淗ow can we create a sense of a neighborhood out there from this very piecemeal urbanism?鈥� Gragg asked.

Some basic city amenities would be a great start, said Edlen, a Portland Development Commission board member.

鈥淚 think we’ve got to move faster,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’ve got to have a public process, but we’ve got to move the needle faster on issues like parks and sidewalks.鈥�

Stuhr pointed out that the larger lots available in East Portland could be advantageous for future development.

鈥淚 see this as a great potential benefit for the city rather than having to design the 200-by-200-foot square,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom a design standpoint, we have opportunities that we don’t have anywhere else. This is going to be the next big opportunity for density in the city.鈥�

Redeveloping East Portland will also involve consideration of the needs of lower-income neighborhoods with more diversity than in other parts of the city, Denmark said. What worked downtown or in the Pearl District may not apply, she said.

鈥淵ou can’t just impose those values on people that don’t want them,鈥� Denmark said.

That doesn’t mean the standard of architecture in East Portland should be different, Stuhr said.

鈥淒esign makes a difference, and a lot of times when you’re working with a marginalized community you have to convince them of that,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople out there deserve good design just as much as we do in the inner city core.鈥�