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!

To see in more detail, click here. 

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.

“When we open our streets to people, we all benefit,” said Noah Siegel, Interim Deputy Director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation. “The Green 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.

To see this brochure closer, click here!