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The City of Portland, Oregon

Portland Bureau of Transportation

Phone: 503-823-5185

Fax: 503-823-7576

1120 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 1331, Portland, OR 97204

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Thank You for a Brilliant 2019!

A Year with Sunday Parkways 

All we have is GOOD NEWs! Sunday Parkways has had the amazing opportunity to partner with a lot of incredible people from across Portland. Here's the highlight reel: 

To the Sports Fans 

Remember the epic ride with Portland Trail Blazer star, Bill Walton, who joined fans for a bike ride during the Sunday Parkways on the Green Loop event in August? It was awesome, wasn't it!? Yep, the Trail Blazer legend Bill Walton who played for UCLA before joining the Trail Blazers, and helping them win their first and only NBA Championship (although we see another win in the future) joined us at the Green Loop event! Our partnership with Rose Quarter also meant we could activate the Rose Quarter as a marketplace that came equipped with one-on-one basketball games, cool swag, and the special appearance of The Blaze and the Blazer Dancers

To Those Who Like to Walk & Roll 

We continued with our Walk with Refugee and Immigrants led by Parks for New Portlanders in partnership with 30+ partners for the 3rd year. We piloted the Ainsworth Boulevard this year, a walking only segment linking Alberta and Fernhill Park, that was fully brought to life through the launch of the Next Level Health Walk led by Sam Thompson supported by Sunday Parkways and Oregon Walks. For this leveled up walk, Next Level Health Walk was awarded a Weston Award this year! We also collaborated with the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) conference and held two walking/two riding tours of Sunday Parkways at the Green Loop. And last but not least, Sunday Parkways hosted two tree themed walks, one at Laurelhurst Park and the other at Fernhill Park.

To Every One Who Rides 

For the 3rd year in a row, Sunday Parkways partnered with the African American Outdoor Association, Community Cycling Center and other community partners to lead a ride for Black bicyclists that is focused on health, community, and family.

For the 2nd year, we teamed up with A. J. “Jerry” Zelada, a retired optometrist and former Chair of the ODOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and his partner Martine Sacks, a pediatric neurologist, to bring back the Every One Rides program. This program, held at Arbor Lodge Park on the North Portland route, focuses on increasing access to cycling for individuals with disabilities and their families. It also provides an educational introduction to adaptive bikes for all. Adaptive BIKETOWN joined us for this event to provide handcycles and education on adaptive bicycle use.

To Trans-formative History 

Sunday Parkways, Kaiser Permanente and Vanport Mosaic teamed up to provide a platform for restorative storytelling, whereas we highlighted the contributions of local legends in Outer Northeast Portland. We hope you caught sight of these amazing signs along the route, if not, it is not too late to learn more! Read up on Portland local legends

To enjoying the Sounds of Music 

What's better than the sound of music? How about music connected to people all across the world? Sunday Parkways partnered with the international music festival Make Music Day to highlight local musical talent. We also worked with the following local musical artists: DJ Prashant, Carroll Raaum Swing Orchestra, Circus Cascadia, Circus Project, Dear Drummer, DJ Doc Rock, Jet Black Pearl, Jordan Richard, Sparkle Movement, The Stomptowners, Trio Eclectique d’903, Portland Opera, Portland Puppet Museum, Under the Lake, and Yingwana Khosa.

Sunday Parkways values the partnerships it has been able to develop and maintain over the years. This program is only possible because the collaboration it has with various communities, organizations, fellow bureaus, volunteers and sponsors. We thank you for trusting us with your vision of what the city can be and helping us to develop a better event year after year. We look forward to creating a brilliant new series of events with you in 2020!

Are you ready for a tour of the Green Loop?

Photo of people on the Green Loop in 2018 August 22, 2019) The Portland Bureau of Transportation and presenting sponsor Kaiser Permanente invite Portlanders to join them on Sunday, August 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to experience the fun and freedom of car-free streets in Downtown and the Central Eastside at Sunday Parkways on the Green Loop.

The seven-mile loop through Portland’s central city will bring people of all ages, abilities and walks of life together in support of a bold vision for the future of our city: a pedestrian and cycling linear park that will connect the east and west neighborhoods of the Central City. The event will open downtown and central eastside streets to people, linking popular locations such as the Rose Quarter, the Portland Art Museum, Portland State University, the North Blocks, Director Park and the emerging businesses on the Central Eastside. Walk, bike, roll or run and enjoy activities along the two-way route with no start or finish. With over 30,000 attendees, last year’s Sunday Parkways on the Green Loop was a resounding success and the highest turnout of all time for a Sunday Parkways event.

The seven-mile loop will include seven marketplaces, each with their own personality. During the event, Director Park will be “Celebrating All Things Portland” with live music, performances, and vegan ice cream. A stop by the Portland Art Museum will take on another flavor with its doors open with free admission to the arts, bike decorating station and impromptu piano performances. Visit the Portland Flea at Rejuvenation Hardware in the Central Eastside for new/old wares to decorate your home. Another highlight of Sunday Parkways on the Green Loop will be the Rose Quarter activity area. Visitors will get to shoot hoops on the Rip City court, take a 50th Anniversary photo, meet Blaze and enjoy music throughout the day from the live music stage. Fans can also join Trail Blazers legend Bill Walton at 2 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for a ride on the Green Loop to tip off the 50th Anniversary season of Trail Blazers basketball.

“When we open our streets to people, we all benefit,” said Noah Siegel, Interim Deputy Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation. “The Green Sunday Parkways on the Green Loop Loop will provide easy, emission-free access to some of the busiest and most congested parts of our city to the benefit of business, safety, and community health. We can’t wait for thousands of Portlanders to discover their new favorite Downtown and Central Eastside shops, restaurants, and attractions this Sunday.”

“The concept for a linear park around the Central City is becoming a reality,” said Bureau of Planning and Sustainability Director Andrea Durbin. “And it’s accessible to all – whether you’re riding a bike or rolling or strolling. We think the Green Loop has great potential to bring Portlanders together, creating a stronger sense of community while enjoying the outdoors and the many other amenities the Central City has to offer.”

“We’re excited to have the Rose Quarter once again be on the Green Loop route of Sunday Parkways,” said Amanda Mann, General Manager of the Rose Quarter. “We welcome all Portlanders and visitors to stop at the Rose Quarter during this annual citywide and family-friendly summertime event that engages and unites our special community.”

From the soon-to-be-constructed Earl Blumenauer Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge over I-84 (previously dubbed Sullivan’s Crossing) to Block 216 (the former Alder Food Carts site), segments of the Green Loop are coming to life. Other emerging projects along the Green Loop alignment include the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project, which will include the Clackamas Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge over I-5, the Broadway Corridor project at the former U.S. Post Office site, the South Park Blocks Master Plan, the OMSI Masterplan and even the Southwest Corridor Plan.  

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, the Portland Bureau of Transportation as well as many of its supporting partners including Friends of the Green Loop and others will be available at Sunday Parkways to answer participants' questions about projects related to or adjacent to the Green Loop and to receive feedback. Sunday's route will also feature one of Portland most notable features, its abundance of transportation options. Don’t have a way to ride the loop? Not to worry. BIKETOWN bikes and electric scooters will be available to demo and ride at the event.

Be sure to join the Kaiser Permanente Sticker Hunt. Those that complete their maps will not only receive a unique Green Loop collectible lapel as a prize but will also be contributing to a good cause. For each map completed by a participant, Kaiser Permanente will make a $5 donation to one of three local mental health organizations. Participants will be able to collect stickers at five of the nine locations across the Sunday Parkways on the Green Loop route including: Central Eastside, Rose Quarter, North Park Blocks, Portland Art Museum and PSU South Park Blocks. Kaiser Permanente will also have a self-service selfie station set up at the base of Tilikum Crossing.

Save the date for the final ride of the season! Northeast Portland Sunday Parkways will be held on Sunday, September 22, 2019.

For maps and more information, visit PortlandSundayParkways.org or call 503-823-7599. Follow us on Facebook at PortlandSundayParkways and on Twitter @Sunday Parkways.

Come join our Portland Celebration Walk on Sunday

Four New Portlanders celebrate at Sunday Parkways 2018This Sunday, July 21st, Parks for New Portlanders is hosting the third annual Walk with Refugees and Immigrants in partnership with the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT)  Sunday Parkways program.  

The walk will begin at the East Portland Community Office (1017 NE 117th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97220) at 11 am. Participants will walk less than a mile to Knott City Park, where various community partners will be hosting a celebration of new Portlanders! There will be food, festivities and entertainment for the whole family as well as a variety of stories and speeches by community leaders here in Portland. 

Additionally, there will be soccer gear and school backpack donations drive at Knott City Park for those looking to stock up on supplies for the fall.   

The Walk with Refugees and Immigrants, which began in 2017, serves as a welcome to Portland’s growing immigrant and refugee community. The walk is a part of Parks for New Portlander’s goal of connecting people who have recently immigrated to Portland with green spaces and outdoor recreation around the city. 

While we are only the 24th largest city in the US, we are proud to rank in the top 10 for refugee relocation.  Oregon was legally declared a sanctuary state in 1987 under Statute 181A.820, and in 2017 Portland was officially declared a sanctuary city. Oregon has a strong history of providing a welcoming home for refugees and immigrants upon arrival in the U.S. and we hope to be a part of building an even better future. 

Join the Outer Northeast Portland community Sunday, July 21st, 2019 to celebrate the immigrants and refugees of Portland at the Walk With Refugees and Immigrants at the East Portland Community Office.  

Celebration Walk starts at 11 am at  East Portland Community Office (1017 NE 117th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97220) 

Walk Start Time: 11:30 am 

Walk End Time: 1 pm

Walk length: 0.8 miles

Start Location: East Portland Community Office (adjacent to Hazelwood Hydro Park) 

End Location: Knott City Park 

Written by Phia Halleen