Environmental Planning – 鶹Ƶ Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:29:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-favicon_logo-32x32.jpg Environmental Planning – 鶹Ƶ 32 32 Assessing Benchmarking Strategies to Encourage Smart Buildings in Bellevue /projects/assessing-benchmarking-strategies-to-encourage-smart-buildings-in-bellevue-2/ /projects/assessing-benchmarking-strategies-to-encourage-smart-buildings-in-bellevue-2/#respond Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:37:12 +0000 https://portal.epicn.org/case-stories/assessing-benchmarking-strategies-to-encourage-smart-buildings-in-bellevue/ Read More... from Assessing Benchmarking Strategies to Encourage Smart Buildings in Bellevue

]]> The Bellevue Comprehensive Plan identifies a Civic Center District surrounding Bellevue City Hall. This Civic Center vision would integrate City Hall, the “Metro property” adjacent to City Hall, Meydenbauer Convention Center (and its expansion), the existing Transit Center, and the future light rail station. It would interface with the Grand Connection (Meydenbauer Bay to Eastside Rail Corridor). Develop the vision and early master plan development, including research, outreach, community and stakeholder engagement, options, and extents.

]]> In March 2018, Parks and Community Services implemented a new recreation program registration system which allows customers to view and register for programs and is accessible on all mobile devices. With this new system, along with other systems in place, the city is looking to develop customizable program brochures to better serve our online customers.

]]> Bellevue’s 16 neighborhood areas are characterized by diverse demographics and built and natural features. The city is initiating a neighborhood planning program that will rely on current and relevant data to illustrate the unique character of each neighborhood area and answer important questions. What features are important to improve or enhance? What trends indicate growing needs or opportunities? How can information be shared with the public in a way that is transparent, objective, and easy to understand? This project will identify the range of available data sources; conduct interviews of city staff and citizens as needed; consider strategies for communication such as use of infographics and formatting techniques to highlight key information; compile and organize data; and prepare neighborhood profiles. Work products will include neighborhood profiles and documentation of the work process so that it can be replicated in the future.

]]> Bellevue’s multi-family neighborhoods have grown in recent years with development in the Downtown and BelRed. Multi-family residential environments are typically harder to reach through traditional city communication programs. The city is interested in research that will evaluate and assess best practices in outreach to those multi-family communities. Work includes development of new strategies, implementing pilot programs and provide recommendations to better inform and engage Bellevue’s multi-family communities. Consideration of equity, inclusion and access are expected to play a significant part in the practices developed.

]]> TriMet is a public agency that operates a network of bus, light rail and commuter rail transit services throughout the Portland, Oregon region. The agency is currently in the middle of the Southwest Corridor (SWC) project, “an ongoing plan to expand its light rail system by adding a new 12-mile line in southwest Portland and southeast Washington County” () that will connect downtown Portland with the cities of Tigard and Tualatin. The construction of the light rail presents opportunities for innovation on a host of peripheral projects in fields like urban planning, sustainability, technology, and land use.

A vibrant hub sees opportunity for growth in new transit facilities 

Marquam Hill is a vibrant residential and commercial district and an active medical community home to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland VA Medical Center and Portland Shriners Hospital. In anticipation of two proposed Southwest Corridor line extensions in the region, TriMet needed analytical research and urban design proposals for a large east-west transect of southwest Portland encompassing Marquam Hill, the Willamette River, South Waterfront, Lair Hill, Barbur Boulevard, and Terwilliger Parkway. Stakeholders specifically sought proposals that would embolden existing regional features and institutions.

Approaching an interdisciplinary challenge from every angle

Partnering with Professor Brook Muller’s architecture studio at the University of Oregon through the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP), TriMet challenged students to develop holistic design proposals for this complex project. The studio, composed of undergraduates and graduates studying architecture, urban design, planning, and preservation, lent itself to an interdisciplinary approach. Participants considered regional ecosystems and topography of the region, carefully analyzed the potential effects of each proposed line on surrounding neighborhoods, sensitive ecosystems, and the city. Guided by a core set of design principles, they focused on developing actionable concepts which would enhance accessibility, consider social equity, encourage adaptability, limit the impact of construction, and improve green space.

Bold student proposals prioritize sustainability, education, and community health

The final report provides a list of recommendations intended to preserve and accentuate Marquam Hill’s historical and environmental characteristics. Guided by the “triple bottom line,” students considered environment, ecology, and economy throughout. Their proposals, designed after a careful examination of the nuances of the site, center health and education. The results have the potential to bolster not only light rail expansion but also the vibrancy of the community. The report includes: 

  • Building programs including a library, childcare facility, state-of-the-art cycling and fitness hub, and an underground geological museum
  • An innovative system for treating runoff and protecting ecosystems integrated with a water education center
  • Dynamic public parks and greenspace intended as sites for urban agriculture and community education

These architecture students, hailing from diverse academic disciplines, combined their expertise to design a dynamic, exciting future for the project site. Their efforts are sure to complement and improve an already vibrant urban hub in tandem with light rail access. 

Sustainable City Year Program Contact Info
Sustainable City Year Program Manager
mbanks@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-6395
https://sci.uoregon.edu/sustainable-city-year-program-0

University of Oregon Faculty Contact Info
Brook Muller
bmuller@uoregon.edu

  

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