Portland Green Street Program 

The City of Portland is an urban area that benefits from comprehensive thinking and planning. In Portland, urban design, multi-modal transportation systems, watershed health, parks, open spaces, and infrastructure systems are all enhanced by integrated planning, design, and budgeting.

Portland is a leader in using strategies that manage stormwater runoff, enhance community and neighborhood livability, and strengthen the local economy. A street that uses vegetated facilities to manage stormwater runoff at its source is referred to as a Green Street. A Green Street is a sustainable stormwater strategy that meets regulatory compliance and resource protection goals by using a natural systems approach to manage stormwater, reduce flows, improve water quality and enhance watershed health.

In April 2007, the Portland City Council approved a Green street resolution, report, and policy to promote and incorporate the use of green street facilities in public and private development.

The council recognizes that a comprehensive Green Street approach is an important development strategy to:

• Reduce polluted stormwater entering Portland’s rivers and streams;
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety;
• Divert stormwater from the sewer system and reduce basement flooding, sewer backups and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Willamette River;
• Reduce impervious surface so stormwater can infiltrate to recharge groundwater and surface water;
• Increase urban green space;
• Improve air quality and reduce air temperatures;
• Reduce demand on the city’s sewer collection system and the cost of constructing expensive pipe systems;
• Address requirements of federal and state regulations to protect public health and restore and protect watershed health; and
• Increase opportunities for industry professionals.