Portland Urban Faculty Colloquium: May 30- June 3, 2017
As part of the Urban Faculty Colloquium, I, Suzanne Savanick-Hansen, spent three days in Portland, Oregon, with 11 other Macalester faculty and staff. We studied urban sustainability using a place-based learning approach. As urban sustainability is my sub-specialty, I was eager to see how the topics we studied, like transit-oriented development, low-impact development, and smart growth, work in practice. I was also curious to learn more about Portland State University's program that connects sustainability with community-based learning. Portland State is well known for their "living laboratory" program that helps students and faculty develop both campus and community-based research projects in classes. Macalester's Living Laboratory website which we developed in the Sustainability Office is modeled on the same approach.
On the trip I was struck by the pace of development we witnessed. Condos seemed to rise from parking lots in nearly every quarter of the city. I also noticed a significant investment in public transportation and bicycle lanes. We typically traveled by public transit. We used buses, trains, aerial tram, and bikeshare bikes to get around. The hotel offered free bikes for hotel guests and a bike path ran between the hotel and the river. I noticed a significant number cyclists and walkers on the trail at all times of the day.
I also noticed the extensive storm water infrastructure. I saw green roofs and living walls on the outside of buildings, and curbs cuts with storm water holding areas. For the first time, I also saw a "green" transit bed with sedum plants instead of gravel. The City of Portland has aggressively used techniques to slow and clean the storm water from their city.
In the city center, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings were common and highlighted by our tour guides. The city planners and university staff appeared to understand and embrace "sustainability." City planners have transit-oriented development and greenhouse gas emissions plans included in their work, instead of separate people working on those types of projects and pitching to city planners. The Portland State University faculty and staff all agreed that sustainability is a key part of the university's mission.
We also learned about the challenges that Portland faces as a "livable city." Portland is popular. Rents are skyrocketing and gentrification is occurring throughout the city. The gentrification also hits the low and mid-income areas and communities of color the hardest. As part of this history, we learned about the racist history of Portland and Oregon as a whole. In 1844 a territorial law forbid African Americans from living in Oregon. People of color were also barred from purchasing mortgages and insurance throughout most of the city of Portland through the practice of redlining.
On the trip, we spent time in one traditionally African-American neighborhood where proposed bike lanes caused protests. The neighborhood saw the bike lanes as catering to the white, upper-classes who wanted to cruise through the areas and not for the neighbors who lived there. The neighbors also wanted crosswalks and other amenities and felt that they had been ignored for a long time. The bike lanes did get installed, but the process was delayed for neighborhood input.
I was struck by the layers of complexity in a sustainable city. Even in a city known for its sustainability practices (green buildings, public transportation, and innovative storm water management), gentrification and displacement of communities of color are a huge challenge. I am haunted by the question of how we can build sustainable cities for all residents of an urban environment, not just the wealthy.
Another part of the trip revolved around the question of how to incorporate urban sustainability into teaching. We met with Portland State University staff and faculty and heard about their Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative. The Institute for Sustainable Solutions works to connect classes to sustainability-related projects in the community. An enthusiastic group of faculty highlighted some of their excellent community projects. This included a project that started in a geography class an ended up as a book, as well as a multi-cultural garden and an art project for a local school. The staff also noted a "'drink dump station" project that started at the airport. The students piloted a system that collects beverages at the security line in the airport. Trash is much lighter and staff aren't hauling heavy waste bags. This project is now replicated at numerous airports.
I also asked about the Institute's collaboration with their Facilities Department and Sustainability Office on the Living Laboratory Program. The living lab program has successfully connected classes with campus projects. Some exemplary projects include a tree inventory, bee collaboration, and a residence hall green roof.
I am hopeful that our living lab program can replicate some of the successes seen at Portland State. Now that we are back at Mac, my next question is How do we at Macalester build off what we learned in Portland so that our own campus and community can be more sustainable and our students get excellent hands-on real-world projects in classes?
On the trip I was struck by the pace of development we witnessed. Condos seemed to rise from parking lots in nearly every quarter of the city. I also noticed a significant investment in public transportation and bicycle lanes. We typically traveled by public transit. We used buses, trains, aerial tram, and bikeshare bikes to get around. The hotel offered free bikes for hotel guests and a bike path ran between the hotel and the river. I noticed a significant number cyclists and walkers on the trail at all times of the day.
I also noticed the extensive storm water infrastructure. I saw green roofs and living walls on the outside of buildings, and curbs cuts with storm water holding areas. For the first time, I also saw a "green" transit bed with sedum plants instead of gravel. The City of Portland has aggressively used techniques to slow and clean the storm water from their city.
In the city center, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings were common and highlighted by our tour guides. The city planners and university staff appeared to understand and embrace "sustainability." City planners have transit-oriented development and greenhouse gas emissions plans included in their work, instead of separate people working on those types of projects and pitching to city planners. The Portland State University faculty and staff all agreed that sustainability is a key part of the university's mission.
We also learned about the challenges that Portland faces as a "livable city." Portland is popular. Rents are skyrocketing and gentrification is occurring throughout the city. The gentrification also hits the low and mid-income areas and communities of color the hardest. As part of this history, we learned about the racist history of Portland and Oregon as a whole. In 1844 a territorial law forbid African Americans from living in Oregon. People of color were also barred from purchasing mortgages and insurance throughout most of the city of Portland through the practice of redlining.
On the trip, we spent time in one traditionally African-American neighborhood where proposed bike lanes caused protests. The neighborhood saw the bike lanes as catering to the white, upper-classes who wanted to cruise through the areas and not for the neighbors who lived there. The neighbors also wanted crosswalks and other amenities and felt that they had been ignored for a long time. The bike lanes did get installed, but the process was delayed for neighborhood input.
I was struck by the layers of complexity in a sustainable city. Even in a city known for its sustainability practices (green buildings, public transportation, and innovative storm water management), gentrification and displacement of communities of color are a huge challenge. I am haunted by the question of how we can build sustainable cities for all residents of an urban environment, not just the wealthy.
Another part of the trip revolved around the question of how to incorporate urban sustainability into teaching. We met with Portland State University staff and faculty and heard about their Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative. The Institute for Sustainable Solutions works to connect classes to sustainability-related projects in the community. An enthusiastic group of faculty highlighted some of their excellent community projects. This included a project that started in a geography class an ended up as a book, as well as a multi-cultural garden and an art project for a local school. The staff also noted a "'drink dump station" project that started at the airport. The students piloted a system that collects beverages at the security line in the airport. Trash is much lighter and staff aren't hauling heavy waste bags. This project is now replicated at numerous airports.
I also asked about the Institute's collaboration with their Facilities Department and Sustainability Office on the Living Laboratory Program. The living lab program has successfully connected classes with campus projects. Some exemplary projects include a tree inventory, bee collaboration, and a residence hall green roof.
I am hopeful that our living lab program can replicate some of the successes seen at Portland State. Now that we are back at Mac, my next question is How do we at Macalester build off what we learned in Portland so that our own campus and community can be more sustainable and our students get excellent hands-on real-world projects in classes?
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