Retrofitting Rockwood

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO 573 Spring 2018

RETROFITTING ROCKWOOD AN URBAN DESIGN PROPOSAL

by Colin O’Neill and An T. Nguyen

RETROFIT verb /re · trō · fit/ 1. to furnish with new or modified parts or equipments 2. to adapt to a new purpose or need

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Existing Condition 2. Planning Principle 3. Proposal 4. Precedent

6

EXISTING CONDITION

The Rockwood neighborhood is located in East Multnomah county, straddling the border between the cities of Portland and Gresham, and is frequently characterized as “Gresham’s Front Door.” While it is rich with culture and diversity – more than 80 languages are spoken here, more than any other Portland-Metro area – Rockwood also has many challenges.

Viewed through the lens of socio-economic and demographic inequality, the mounting effects of gentrification over the past 10 years has pushed poverty east of Portland. Today, Rockwood is the poorest community in Oregon. Between 2002 and 2012, the number of its residents living in poverty grew 61%. A quarter of Rockwood’s families are living at or below poverty level, compared to 10% overall for Oregon. The median household earnings are 23% lower than that of Portland-Metro and families in Rockwood are twice as likely to receive food assistance compared to other areas in the state.

A lack of safe, effective transit further deepens the disconnection between Rockwood and other Portland-Metro neighborhood. In this overwhelmingly automobile-centric neighborhood, residents without a car are discouraged from utilizing means of public transportation due to infrastructural barriers, resulting in severely limited access to basic neccesities such as fresh food and health care.

7

8

9

site of conflict

While the people of Rockwood are accutely aware about the need for an urban plan to renew the neighborhood and connect it to the urban Portland-Metro area, they are also sensitive to the pressure on the local economic landscape that new development will bring. New buildings intended as kickstart engines to the neighborhood can also become a catalyst for gentrification, further displacing underprivileged populations that have made Rockwood their home.

10

PLANNING PRINCIPLE

We propose an urban development scheme that will energize and revitalize the neighborhood of Rockwood and connect it to the larger cityscape of the Portland-Metro area through infrastructure intervention.

By strategically identifying and targetting underused buildings in the neighborhood, the plan optimizes the commercial and economic potential of existing structures and assets in the area, while creating opportunities for citizens to take part in Rockwood’s growth, become invested in their own community, and benefit from the prosperity that they themselves contribute to.

Working in tandem with new development projects, we retrofit the hardscapes of Rockwood with tactical features to better accommodate the people who use them: open streets, welcoming bus stops, safer bike lanes.

These tactical interventions form a new community framework that supports the local residents and enhance the living experience in the neighborhood.

11

12

PROPOSAL

13

REDEFINING CITIZENSHIP THROUGH URBAN REUSE Underused buildings in the area

Shared property ownership ensures that the revenues generated from local resources will benefit all community members. It also brings people together and strengthen the social networks in communities, which is critical to creating and sustaining healthy neighborhoods.

14

15

16

ENHANCING NEIGHBORHOOD ASSETS

17

La Tapatia market is located on SE Stark Street, between two major developments in the neighborhood: South Rockwood Park and Rockwood Rising. It is also positioned close to the busiest bus stops in the area and is a beloved Latino market, providing fresh food to an underserved community.

By strategically targetting La Tapatia for development, we aim to use the building and its surrounding lot as an anchoring node that stitches together the renewed urban fabric for Rockwood.

The market’s large parking lot is reprogrammed to include canopies that provide shade, house an open market and shelter commuters waiting for the bus. We will also establish a green zone that processes and recycles sullage from adjacent building into irrigation for a community garden. A new plaza extending to the east allows more access through SE 185th Avenue, emphasizing the potency of the site as the connection between the two projects.

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

PRECEDENT PORTLAND MERCADO

Portland Mercado is a community driven effort, developed by non-profit Hacienda CDC and supported by federal, local, foundation and private sector dollars all to support small businesses and a strong sense of community and place for Latinos and diverse cultures in Portland.

The building and site offers affordable retail space and a cultural platform for Latinos and other entrepreneurs to start or grow a business. The businesses here span food, grocery, retail and service. The project, an incubator model and economic development initiative of Hacienda CDC, is a hub for Latino culture in the city. The development of the project is inspired by entrepreneurship, Latino cultural history and heritage, traditional and local foods, social enterprise, vibrant cultures and public markets throughout the world.

25