UO students hatch plans for Gateway ecodistrict

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University of Oregon

From highly visual renderings like this one showing a walkable neighborhood with lots of green space to complex street plans, University of Oregon students churned out a multitude of ideas for the Gateway ecodistrict. Click through the gallery to see samples of their work. 

"They did a fantastic job of taking what we told them and making it into something," said Colleen Gifford, president of ABC Sustainable Solutions and chairwoman of the Gateway Eco District official steering committee. "I could take something from each presentation and see a beautiful Gateway."

Student work focused on planning for better street connectivity and more support for pedestrian and bike travel. The plans incorporated stormwater treatment ideas into green space, for example one called for a park pond to double as a stormwater collector for the neighborhood. And to create an identity for the neighborhood, one called for an international marketplace that would leverage Gateway's diversity — some 77 different languages are spoken on its streets — to create a central gathering place.

Gifford said she was inspired by the designs and renderings and will be presenting some of the ideas to Mayor Sam Adams in an upcoming meeting about the ecodistrict's progress.

"I hope the city will pay attention to what we're saying and what we're seeing," Gifford said.

Knudson will be leading a presentation of the student's work at this year's EcoDistrict Summit in October, an event put on by the Portland Sustainability Institute.