New Columbia
Portland, OR

  • Marcy McInelly
    Joseph Readdy
    Ryan Sulivan

  • Mithun


  • Winner in Overall Excellence
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement

    Mayor’s Award for Design Excellence
    Portland Chapter American Institute of Architects, 2007

    Merit Awards: Community Revitalization, Design for Transformation, and Transforming Lives During Community Revitalization
    National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Three (3)

    Best in American Living Awards: Best Urban Smart Growth Neighborhood, Gold Award
    National Association of Home Builders

Type
Redevelopment

Size
82 acres

Year
2005

Prior to its transformation, Columbia Villa was a fenced-off, isolated enclave of low-income housing. Urbsworks assisted Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) in a complete redesign of the site that reconnected the community to surrounding neighborhoods, designed walkable streets that connect all residents to new parks and school, and mixed housing types to create a truly integrated community.

A row of homes in the New Columbia site that notably lack driveways or garages. The homes connect to the sidewalk through small patch from the porch of each home.
A walking path connects a series of homes that face one another instead of being divided by a street to create a walkable community.

The master plan is based upon the New Urbanist principles of connectivity and walkability, and promotes efficient, compact settlement-focused land use and development policies. 

A site plan of the New Columbia project showing an aerial view of the walkable neighborhood.

A site plan of the New Columbia project showing an aerial view of the walkable neighborhood.

A stormwater bioswale located on the street of the community.

A stormwater bioswale located on the street of the community.

A few residents playing basketball at the court located in the New Columbia site.

A few residents playing basketball at the court located in the New Columbia site.

Read our blog post to learn more about the New Columbia project.

A Deeper Dive

Read Article
A site drawing of major roads overlaid on top of an aerial photo of the New Columbia project site.
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