University of Oregon students in Architectural Design (ARCH 484/584) partnered with the City of Gresham through the Sustainable City Year Program to design concept plans for a 1.4 acres opportunity site. The goal of this project is to transform a vacant corner lot into a social and cultural magnet that bridges historic downtown Gresham and the adjacent Main City Park that connects to the expansive 21-mile Springwater Corridor trail. The project included two interdisciplinary charettes with Spatial Justice Fellow Alaa Hamid’s landscape architecture students, who helped strengthen the vision for the site, considering stormwater management, community connections, education, and ecology. Hamid’s students brought an understanding of Native American approaches from working on the Klamath basin in the Oregon studio sequence.
Students were tasked with ensuring their proposed two to four story building and surrounding landscape would consider Native American approaches to Nature, while providing space for civic and community gatherings, activities for all ages, and food-centered social events.
Nancy Cheng, Associate Professor in the School of Architecture & Environment, led students on an overnight site visit on January 10 to Gresham, Oregon. This experience allowed the class to meet with city officials, explore the project site and visit related buildings.
Architecture student, Madison Coultrap ’27, reflected on the experience. "Getting the opportunity to meet Gresham locals and district officials, such as Ashley Miller and Dr. Araceli Farias, really embodied what the community of Gresham is like. Their input and feedback guided my peers and I in the initial programming and design development for this community center. While designing for Gresham, we were tasked to follow existing design requirements and site limitations, which proposed a new challenge for our studio. In exploring the various facets that come with these existing conditions, I felt it was key to make this community center act as a beacon for all of Gresham’s members while paying tribute to the surrounding land.”
This redesign project provides students with the opportunity to work with city stakeholders, learn about Oregon tribal values and traditions, and inspire future plans for the building.
Cheng shared her thoughts on the program’s impact. “The Sustainable City Year Program provides students the chance to work on a real building site, meet the clients, and pitch ideas that could shape the site's future development.
“In the case of Gresham, our client Ashley Miller, Director of Urban Design & Planning, has been great at supplying plenty of information that make the place come to life. We’re delighted to delve into recent community engagement reports to understand how to create a center that can address local needs and be welcoming to all. The city helped support a tour of not only the lovely green Gresham site but also related award-winning buildings in the Portland vicinity – fun and inspiring!” Cheng said. Portland architects and planners also contributed community engagement documents and online feedback for the students.
This partnership between the Sustainable City Year Program and the City of Gresham represents a vital intersection between education, Oregon communities, and community-driven design, growing both knowledge and resources in the cities and for students.
“Throughout this term we were able to develop thoughtful connections between the urban landscape, historical attributes, and the City of Gresham. I am eager to present our findings and potential site proposals to the people of Gresham alongside our esteemed faculty," said Coultrap.
- Denali Herrick, SCYP Communication and Visual Media Assistant, Master's in Advertising and Brand Responsibility ‘25