Urban Design Concept Diagram

All of the land-use options fit within the context of a simple urban-design concept. The diagram includes:

• A north-south armature of light-rail on 1st and 2nd Avenues ties the inner east side together (red hatched lines). This spine of transit, along with the riverfront esplanade, connect the regional attractors at the north end-the Rose Garden and the Convention Center-with the regional attractors at the south end-OMSI and the new PCC campus (purple asterisks). About mid-point along this spine would be an additional regional attraction such as an aquarium.
• The inner-east side would be tied together in the east-west direction by an armature of enhanced streets located on NE Davis, SE Stark, SE Taylor and Hawthorne Boulevard, sans bridge viaducts (dashed green lines). Street enhancements include curb extensions, wider sidewalks, new street trees and other enhancements to maximize their pedestrian orientation. The four streets provide the armature that connect the inner SE and NE neighborhoods to the parks and open spaces planned for the riverfront.
• The land uses between the riverfront and 1st Avenue would be restricted to housing (in orange) and open space (in green). This is the area currently occupied by the freeway of approximately 43 acres. Land uses between the light rail line and the MLK/Grand corridor would be mixed use and east of the MLK/Grand corridor would be preserved as the industrial sanctuary.