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Planning and Sustainability

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1900 SW 4th Ave, Suite 7100, Portland, OR 97201

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Key directions

The Comprehensive Plan offers key directions that respond to significant trends affecting Portland and will help achieve Portland’s vision for 2035. Descriptions of each of the directions and references to where you can find related information in the Working Draft can be found below. 

Invest to reduce disparities

High quality basic services are essential toPortland’s future success. However, not all communities in the city have access to basic services like sidewalks and developed streets, complete stormwater management systems, parks and open spaces. While public agencies aim to provide these services to all Portlanders, this goal has not always been met.

The draft Comprehensive Plan directs public agencies that make investments in development and infrastructure to focus investments and programs in areas and toward communities that do not and have not had equitable access to high quality basic City services.

To learn more, check out:

  • Chapter 1: Community Involvement establishes guidelines for public processes to make sure that Portlanders’ needs and concerns are better understood and met. 
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities includes policies that address public service delivery and associated health and equity impacts.

Promote more inclusive public process

Portland has a long history of neighborhood involvement and advocacy that has helped create the walkable, beautiful and transit-rich city Portlanders know today. But Portland has other histories, too … defined by gentrification and displacement; development that lacks many needed investments and services; unintended consequences of zoning; and planning that was conducted without ensuring the voices of all Portlanders were heard, including people of color, people with disabilities, low-income residents and youth.

As the city grows, diversifies and works to advance equity, we need to work with Portland’s diverse communities to ensure that all Portlanders’ needs and concerns are considered. This starts by recognizing that decisions about land use and design, development and conservation, and capital investments have equity implications. Then we need to adopt a new approach to community involvement and decision-making to reduce racial and ethnic disparities and close the gaps in accessibility and achievement.

The draft Comprehensive Plan puts forward a community involvement approach that emphasizes intercultural engagement, recognizes that diversity is an advantage, seeks a broader range of community wisdom, builds ongoing relationships with community organizations and engages communities early and often. This approach will complement Portland’s existing neighborhood system to create stronger, more inclusive and representative community involvement.

To learn more, check out:

  • Chapter 1: Community Involvement sets goals and policies that support effective participation in decision-making and establishes guidelines for inclusive community involvement.

Support youth success

Portland, like many communities across the country, is rethinking how to improve student outcomes and success. Chronically low achievement levels and disturbing educational disparities between youth in poverty, youth of color, immigrants and refugees, youth with disabilities and other students need our attention.

Youth success is supported by far more than what happens in a classroom. The physical environment in which children and youth are raised plays a key role as well. Stable housing, personal and community safety, affordable transit, convenient access to school and other destinations as well as safe, welcoming places for interaction with peers and mentors all add up to a youth-supportive environment.

The draft Comprehensive Plan includes goals and policies that encourage schools to function as centers of community, which will provide opportunities for multi-generational exchange and learning. The plan also includes goals and policies that increase access to recreation and provide safe walking and biking routes to school.

To learn more, check out:

  • Chapter 2: Housing includes policies that support affordable housing, recognizing that stable housing directly contributes to improved educational outcomes for low-income students.
  • Chapter 3: Economic Development includes policies that support workforce development to improve education and job-readiness.
  • Chapter 5: Design and Development supports providing services, learning and recreational opportunities and amenities in concentrated areas, which will provide youth with places to meet with friends and mentors.
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities includes policies that support high quality parks and recreation services, and schools as multifunctional facilities that support learning.
  • Chapter 7: Transportation supports the Safe Routes to Schools program, which helps improve student safety and promotes physical activity. It also includes policies that support convenient and safe transit and active transportation.

Build a Resilient Economy 

A diverse economy that builds on local geographic and industry strengths is a strong economy. In Portland, we have these economic assets in our advanced manufacturing; clean tech, athletic and outdoor industry job base; a deep water port; and stable health and educational institutions. In addition, we continue to export innovative local ideas and products to the world.

A strong and diverse economy provides opportunities for Portlanders of all education levels to secure living wage jobs, which in turn supports household stability and prosperity. Having a job and a safe, comfortable home improve health and educational outcomes, which help build a more resilient and equitable society.

To build on existing strengths, maintain Portland’s position as Oregon’s largest job center and meet the job growth forecast with sustained job growth, Portland needs to provide a competitive business environment, build on its position as a major West Coast trade gateway and invest in strong local industries.

This direction is supported by draft goals and policies that address the following: investments in underserved areas; local hiring; affordable housing development; traded sector job growth and harbor, airport and freight transportation investments. Investments to improve physical access to jobs and provide land needed for job growth also further this direction. 

To learn more, check out:

  • Chapter 3: Economic Development addresses a wide variety of economic development topics, including business competitiveness, land development and household prosperity.
  • Chapter 4: Watershed Health and the Environment includes guidelines for developing land in ways that support, and do not harm, watershed and environmental health.
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities addresses major public investments, many of which are essential to supporting business growth and creating a city that attracts new business.
  • Chapter 7: Transportation addresses the multimodal freight system and regional traffic and transitways.

Create complete neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with concentrations of businesses and community services, access to food, a variety of housing types at a range of prices, welcoming gathering places, street trees, parks and open spaces provide youth and adults with options to live healthy, active lifestyles. Providing housing for a diversity of residents close to services supports neighborhood businesses, which helps the local economy through small business development and job growth. These neighborhoods also help reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change because residents are less reliant on cars for many daily trips. Yet, today less than half of all Portlanders live in places with good access to services and amenities.

Increasing access to services for more Portlanders and promoting social and physical environments that foster good health and support local economic development will require changes in development and investment. For example, redevelopment and investments should be directed toward both existing active mixed-used areas that serve many residents, as well as places that have many residents but fewer services.

The draft Comprehensive Plan supports this move by promoting concentrated mixed-use development, attractive street level design and active transportation options. Among other things, the plan also encourages businesses that serve local neighborhoods, development of parks and open spaces, and creation of public spaces that support a variety of uses.

To learn more, check out:

  • Urban Design Framework: This section illustrates and describes the characteristics of centers, where housing, and commercial and community services are concentrated.
  • Chapter 2: Housing includes policies that support a diversity of housing options.
  • Chapter 3: Economic Development supports neighborhood business districts, which are core components of complete neighborhoods.
  • Chapter 5: Design and Development includes goals and policies about the services and amenities that help create complete neighborhoods.
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities addresses infrastructure system maintenance and expansion. It also recognizes the important role that schools play as centers of community.
  • Chapter 7: Transportation addresses a variety of transportation modes and street designs.

Connect people and places

Every day, Portlanders need to get to work or school, meet with friends and family, and engage in typical daily neighborhood activities. They need a variety of active and low-carbon transportation options to help improve personal, public and environmental health. Businesses, too, need access to supplies and the certainty that their products will reach customers quickly.

When there is a network of safe, accessible and attractive streets, trails, parks and open spaces that encourages active living, community interaction and nature in neighborhoods, activities like walking, biking and using public transit become the easy choice. Driving less helps reduce household costs, improves personal and environmental health, and contributes to lowering our carbon emissions. A transportation network that integrates nature into neighborhoods also increases people’s access to the outdoors, provides corridors for wildlife movement, and helps catch and treat stormwater. Additionally, when commuters bike, walk or take transit to work, there is more room on the road for freight, which is good for business.

The draft Comprehensive Plan encourages and elevates three types of connections to knit the city together and link people, water and wildlife: civic corridors, neighborhood greenways and habitat connections.

To learn more, check out:

  • Urban Design Framework: This section illustrates and describes the locations of potential corridors, connections and habitat areas.
  • Chapter 4: Watershed Health and the Environment includes goals and policies related to preserving and enhancing important habitat and natural resources.
  • Chapter 5: Design and Development addresses greenways, corridors and connections as well as sustainable design and development.
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities addresses stormwater and parks systems.
  • Chapter 7: Transportation addresses green and active transportation and the transportation hierarchy.

Designing with nature 

The natural environment signals where it’s smart and safe to build. But we don’t always respond to those signals. Too often, planning and development practices have treated natural conditions as problems to overcome, rather than as the foundation for designing distinctive and healthy communities.

Portland has come a long way since the days when wetlands, streams and rivers were routinely filled, re-routed or piped to accommodate growth. However, development pressures continue to challenge the health of natural systems, including the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and their tributary streams.

Now, Portland has the opportunity to create safer and more resilient communities by designing with nature, which emphasizes how and where we build. It means focusing new development in already developed areas and limiting new construction in areas prone to flooding and landslides. It involves integrating Portland’s built and natural environments to provide habitat for birds and other wildlife, while providing people with access to nature on a daily basis. It’s also about protecting valuable habitat areas and providing wildlife connections; using green building principles to reduce energy use, toxic materials and waste; and encouraging building and site designs with native plants and more permeable surfaces that mimic nature. With this approach pollutants stay out of rivers and streams, and our human and public health improves.

To learn more, check out:

  • Chapter 4: Watershed Health and the Environment emphasizes the role of natural systems in promoting human health and safety. It also encourages the protection and enhancement of natural systems.
  • Chapter 5: Design and Development addresses groundwater protection, habitat and wildlife-friendly design and resource-efficient development.
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities supports using stormwater as a resource, recognizing the importance of natural systems and planning with climate change in mind.
  • Chapter 7: Transportation supports the use of transit and active transportation, which reduces carbon emissions and improves environmental health.

Respond to local context

Each area of Portland has its own distinctive characteristics that are valued by community members. Different places are distinguished by their unique topographies, natural features, histories, assets, patterns of development and types of buildings.

Instead of following a one-size-fits-all approach, growth and change can be harnessed to enhance positive and valued community characteristics by building on the strengths and assets of each area.

The draft Comprehensive Plan supports this direction by establishing goals and policies that require context-sensitive residential, commercial, institutional, environmental and industrial design that builds on the distinctive physical and cultural qualities of their locations. It also supports the creation of location-specific service and design standards for streets and other infrastructure.

To learn more, check out:

  • Urban Design Framework: This section illustrates and describes Portland’s major land use pattern areas to create a common language for understanding the similarities and differences among places across the city.
  • Chapter 4: Watershed Health and the Environment promotes policies that encourage development to respond to local environmental conditions.
  • Chapter 5: Design and Development includes goals and policies that emphasize the importance of considering local history, character, populations and environments.
  • Chapter 6: Public Facilities supports infrastructure that reflects local context.
  • Chapter 7: Transportation supports street design to meet local contexts and land uses.