Streets to Streams

8/12/2019 Streets to Streams

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Streets to Streams


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Stormwater is not a mechanical system. It is an envi-

ronmental process, joining the atmosphere, the soil,

vegetation, land use, and streams, and sustaining land-

scapes. In every landscape the falling of the rain, the

shining of the sun and the blowing of the wind are

the beginning of all life.

Bruce K. Ferguson


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1"2$-2$*Part I

Introduction

The Opportunities

Impact Categories

Environment

Community

Transportation

Kenton Neighborhood Research

History

Maps

Community Involvement

Street Typologies

Part II

Implementation Guide

Case Studies

Plans

Connectivity

Area of Focus

Impact Categories

Phase One

Phase Two

Phase Three

Sources


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Introduction

Part I

Streets to Streams aim is to achieve a better vision of N Willis

Blvd. in the neighborhood of Kenton.The environmental, the com-

munity and the circulation are the three categories that will improve

the experience of living or circulating through the boulevard. Thevision starts with the beginning of the Willamette Valley land forma-

tion, millions of years ago; to restore nature and ecosystems inherent

to Earth in a contemporary neighborhood.

SiteNorth of Kenton lays the Columbia Slough; a protected natural

wetland stretches 19 miles.It is what Kenton would be, had Kenton

never been developed. Stormwater in North Portland flows to the

Columbia Slough Confluence, where the Willamette River and theColumbia River meet, and the water is deposited into the Columbia

River. With respect to site, it is the intention of Streams in the Streets

to reconnect Kenton to the land it has since disconnected itself from

through a creative and symbolic intervention.

EnvironmentalPortland is known for its green and sustainable solutions to envi-

ronmental issues.The next step is to incorporate these strategies on

a more connected level with a specific location and a specific com-

munity in mind. Using green interventions to prevent stormwaterfrom being detrimental to the environment it can instead be used to

beautify a street whose original purpose was to be the main, beautiful

boulevard of the neighborhood. By implementing green strategies the

environmental footprint of the neighborhood will decrease.

CommunityGreen space and a common interest in activities, including local

community gardens, education and the beautification of the neigh-

borhood are ways to build a stronger community.Through the

collaborative process of making and engagement there will be more

human interaction leading to a strong development of the neighbor-

hood whole as opposed to the existing fragmented condition. Neigh-

bors can garden or bask together while children can play and learn

about nature in close proximity.

CirculationN Willis Blvd. is known as a collector street except that it is 30

feet wider than a typical collector street.There is a lack of imple-

mentation that makes Willis a safe road; no bumps, extra wide, shared

with cyclists, etc. Extending the currently existing grass islands to

allow for slow points along Willis also provides more space to pro-

vide cyclists with an east/west biking boulevard as well as taking it off

the street and placing it into a more natural and scene environment.

Considering public transportation is also important; allowing for bus-

ses to pull over while not stopping traffic will help to keep congestionminimal.


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The OpportunitiesOur mission is to support our community by advocating for diver-

sity, sustainability and promoting the propensity and livability of all

neighbors. -Kenton Neighborhood Association

Kentons commitment to sustainable efforts and community develop-

ment make it a perfect location for a community green street inter-

vention. This type of development can further help Kenton establish a

specific neighborhood identity and act as a precedent for other areas

in Portland, Oregon. Kenton has had a rich history with the interface

between natural ecosystems and development, this project will tie

back to this history and restore what has been lost through previous

developments.

North Willis Boulevard was once meant to be the main street

of Kenton, a grounding point, the identity of the neighborhood.

Taking away the expansive street paving and replacing these impervi-

ous surfaces with material pallet that has more environmental benefit

is crucial in order to restore natural landscapes into the area. Fruit

trees and natural vegetation will be planted which will allow communi-

ty members to harvest what is produced by these trees establishing a

deeper connection with the landscape and will create a stronger senseof community. Educating the children of the neighborhood about the

history and restored natural plantings will ensure the development

and commitment to preserving and furthering the restoration of the

Kenton neighborhood.

With the expansion of green space on North Willis Boulevard

comes opportunity for more pedestrian interaction.This new com-

munal space will also be able to move the cars further away from the

houses and bring slower traffic to the attention of the street. There

is no consistent bike path or sidewalk between each property, imple-

menting these will encourage a slower pace along the street lessening

noise and creating a safer place for children to play and learn about the

restored ecosystem that once existed.


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Impact Categories

Environment Community Transportation


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Environment

Green storm water management

Rain Gardens

Orchards

Trees

Permeable paversPermeable asphalt

Community supported gardens (CSA)

Interactive water features

Information boardsNeighborhood connectivity newtork

Education platform

Pedestrian

Biker

Traffic commuter

Bus system

traffic speed

Community

Transportation


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3(*$"#4 The Kenton neighborhood land was acquired by the Asso-

ciated Banking & Trust company in 1892 and was later sold to J. C.

Ainsworth for $15,000 in 1897 to settle debts. Not much of the land

was developed until factories began to operate along the OregonSlough. Kenton owes much of its existence to the meat packing indus-

try that started in the 1893 with independent butchers forming the

Union Meat Company, eventually being bought out by Swift & Com-

pany in 1906. By 1911, Swift & Company employed 1500 workers. In

1907 Swift & Companys president C. C. Colt formed the Kenwood

Land Company in order to purchase more land along the Columbia

Slough for a new meat packing plant, but also for land to form a com-

pany town. The original name for Kenton was going to be Kenwood,

but the name was already in use in Oregon. Other factories along the

Oregon Slough included Portland Union Stockyards, Portland Cattle

Load Company, Columbia Wool Basin Warehouse, Kenton Traction

Company, and many more.

Kenton became a very successful company town because

the town was able to grow and accommodate not just the factory

workers but also visitors while developing a culture and leisure

society. Kentons main street Denver Avenue (originally Derby Street)

used to have cattle drives up until 1928. The Kenton Hotel wasopened in 1909 as well as the Kenton car line to accommodate visiting

cattlemen. A theater was built in 1911 but moved in 1925 where the

Chaldean Theater was established that rivaled any other theater in

Portland with a capacity to seat 600 people.

The downfall of Kenton is largely blamed on the Vanport area

that had strict liquor laws. This presented a business opportunity for

Kenton resulting in far too many liquor stores for a small area of land.

Another negative impact for Kenton was the Interstate Avenue and

Highway 99 that used to split Kenton in half.

The Paul Bunyan statue, now standing at the corner of North

Interstate and North Denver, was built for the 1959 Oregon Centen-

nial as a celebration of those festivities. The statue is now part of the

National Register of Historic Places as of January 28, 2009.


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N

Average Cost Per Mile

75.2c

Average Cost Per Mile of Construction

$788,290

$130,000

32%Dissaproval RatesRelated to Safety

10.0

270 kg

7 kgc

USD

750%

USD

C02

CO2

3500%

The majority of bike routes in the Kenton neighborhood run North

to South including N Chautauqua Blvd, N Wabash Ave, N PeninsularAve, and N Delaware Ave. These streets are bike boulevards with

pavement markings and directional signs for bikers. N. Willis Blvd

runs East to West and is a connector street between two maor

bike streets.It is considered a shared roadway with a wider outside

lane on a moderate and higher traffic street.


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Implementation Guide

Part II

Improving the Street SectionThe street section is the foundation for the proceeding improvements.

The Community Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) provides

grants for various projects including, but not limited to, neighborhoodsafety, community gardens, replacing pavement with native plants and

environmental education. By redesigning the sectional quality of the

street, the implementation of projects will then have the ground to

sink their roots in. Collaboration with Portland Bureau of Transpor-

tation (PBOT) and CWSP is ideal to begin to identify restrictions

and potentials with respect to specific details.

Garden Typologies

Door-to-door surveying helps to guide the type of implementationsfor any given block whether its a rain garden, community garden, or

urban forest. Neighborhood interest helps to define a mosaic of

green spaces that is within a reasonable proximity so that each

household doesnt need to walk far in order to experience the

types that are most interesting to them. These typologies can be

integrated with bus stops/shelters, educational plaques, and bike paths

as a way for them to be multi-purpose and encourage human pres-

ence in the area.

CirculationBottlenecking and providing vehicle queuing and street side park-

ing near intersections at points of bus stops and high speed zones

can help to make the flow of traffic safer; it also acts as a way toincrease square footage for the green spaces.All of these will make

the streetscape safer and more attractive to occupy. Expanding the

sidewalks in this way will allow for a unique experience for cyclists as

they could, potentially, ride on an esplanade. Contact with BPS, under

their City GreenWays goal, will help to reinforce and strategize the

ideologies of the project.

Grassy Amenities

In order for these spaces to be used as their designs intend themto be used amenities will need to also be implemented. Amenities

include areas where neighbors can gather, or sit peacefully.Either

through the commissioning or probono works of local artis ts, students

and the community benches, composting boxes, signage, educational

installments and other features that make the new space safe, informa-

tive and inviting.


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Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design

Charles Eames

In this series of proposed phases to accomplish a community green

space along North Willis Boulevard, recognizing the needs from theresidents along the streets has to act as a foundation for design. A

survey along North Willis Boulevard was recently distributed in order

to being a design guide for the streets community green space inter-

vention. The largest driver over this study showed approximately 60%

of the residents not using the large green space between the street

and sidewalk. Most residents felt no obligation to the space in terms

of use or maintenance. This part of the public right of way will house

solutions for other conditions addressed in the survey such as, but

not limited to, water collection on the street side, noise control, and

enviornmental education. With a primary bus line running through thesite, noise control was the second most issue of concern to the resi-

dents. The green spaces addressed in the project have the potential of

housing lush greenery to reduce the street noise and bring back the

tree canopy that once existed in the historic neighborhood. Additional

surveys addressing problem awareness and design solutions will be

distributed through the Kenton neighborhood association.

Survey Results


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Sidewalks along the south side of Willis Blvd are often broken

up by the grass islands. This makes for muddy patches and an

unattractive visual inconsistency along the street. Pedestrians

hoping to use this area for circulation during rainy seasons is

undesirable as it can be messy and pose the safety risk of slipping.

This provides an opportunity to continue the sidewalk in a more

creative way; adding gardens in these areas and implementing

nonlinear permeable sidewalks to complete the path as well as

making maintenence for the green space easier.

Many residents along Willis Blvd. use the green islands and the

extended driveway as a means for parking vehicles. With the

current system, there is no hierarchy between transportation

modes and parking. Repurposing green islands, providing visual

queues for parking, and extending sidewalks will help create a

hierarchy on the road and conceal the parking issue while resolving

it at the same time.

Implementing permeable materials in areas designated for parking

will help reduce wear and tear and also allow for immediate

management for pollution that comes directly from vehicles.

Standing water and poor management of stormwater runoff

is bad for the environment, specifically the watershed. The

Columbia Slough Watershed (CSW) is home to a protected

diverse ecosystem; it is the obligation of the surrounding

neighborhoods to make sure that responsible strategies are in

place as to not threaten the CSW.

Implementing rain gardens and green spaces will help to filter the

toxins out of the water before it reaches the Columbia river via

CSW.

The streetscape as it currently exists has a major shortage of

tree cover at inconsistent increments. Providing the street with

more trees will help to keep temperatures down, provide rain cover,

drastically contribute to stormwater management and improve the

aesthetic of the neighborhood.

Door to door survey results show that parks are important to the

neighborhood and implementing green spaces and improving the

aesthetic of a park will help to satisfied those desires.

Incomplete Sidewalks Stormwater Runoff

Scarce Tree CanopyLack of Parking


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Phase One: Neighborhood Vision


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Ph O Taking Control of Your Neighborhood


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Phase One:Taking Control of Your Neighborhood


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Phase Two: Neighborhood Vision


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N i hb h d Vi i


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Phase Three: Neighborhood Vision


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Documents

Streets to Streams