SOUTH WATERFRONT
PORTLAND OREGON

   One of the Green aspects of the South Waterfront neighborhood is the multiple modes of transportation. The hierarchy of transportation in cities and towns should be based on what choices makes sense to use for each  trip; walk, bicycle,public transit or private auto, in that order. South Waterfront’s sidewalks and Waterfront Green-way make it easy to  walk safely; and by using 200 x 200 foot sized blocks, such as used in Portland downtown core, walking is more  direct and human scaled. The numerous retail and building entrance awnings in the district protect pedestrians  from the rain, making a quick dash from a lobby entrance to local retail possible. Awnings also provide rain protection and provide shade on longer walks.The streets with limited vehicle access, such as SW Pennoyer and SW Lane will provide direct pedestrian and bicycle access from the interior of the district to the River. Southwest Bond and Moody Avenues provide north and south bound designated bicycle lanes thru the district. The  proposed Master Plan for the Willamette Green-way in the district designates separate pedestrian and bicycle paths to better provide for safer and faster bicycle commutes. Numerous bicycle racks spread throughout the district also promotes bicycle use. A direct connection to the West will be the future Gibbs Street pedestrian/bicycle bridge over SW Macadam Avenue and Interstate 5 . This bridge will allow easy access for the neighborhoods west of the freeway to connect with the River Green-way and District Park as well as the Retail businesses. It will also enable South Waterfront residents to have easy access to the Retail and Parks to the west. Long term plans will be to connect OHSU by this bridge, neighborhood sidewalks and a trail to South Waterfront.The Gibbs Street bridge will also make a direct connection for  Tram and Streetcar commuters who live in the Lair Hill neighborhood.

   Next on the hierarchy of transportation is public transit, of which South Waterfront is unparalleled in the US, with the exception of New York City, because of the Portland Ariel Tram. The  Tram makes for a easy connection between one of Portland’s largest employer, OHSU, and the Portland Streetcar. The Tram also allows for OHSU to expand on the land they own in South Waterfront such as they have done with the Center for Health and Healing at the base of the Tram. Also by having the base of  the Tram surrounded by the high density residences in the South Waterfront neighborhood will make for an easy commute for OHSU employees or patients who live there without any other transportation link. The Streetcar loop through the district makes it easy to exit a full streetcar on the southbound trip and do pickup on the northbound trip. The Streetcar also connects South Waterfront in a linear route through the heart of Portland; River-place, Portland State University, MAX Light Rail and multiple Bus routes, Downtown, the Pearl District and Northwest Portland. Bus routes on SW Macadam Avenue provide addition links out of the district. Automobile use in South Waterfront is also easier because of the grid style street-scape just as it is friendly to pedestrian and bicycle use. Flex cars are also parked in the district for those who do not own or those people who need a 2nd car occasionally. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Green Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Comment On This Entry

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website