Complex decision:  Sustainable Waterfront Example

The City of Portland developed a plan to achieve a sustainable urban waterfront, and the decisions that went into this plan were very complex.  The City had to balance the desire to protect future ecosystem services with existing economic and societal needs.  The amount of uncertainty about how these systems interact complicated the decisions.  If the decision-makers placed too much emphasis on economic development, then human and ecological health would suffer.  However, the industrial sites provide jobs and wealth to the region.  Multiple options for where to place the industry, housing, office space, transportation, retail, and open space were evaluated and trade-offs were made.  There was an inherent conflict between current growth in industrial and retail sectors versus the potential economic value of ecosystem services that could be affected by that growth.  These issues had to be resolved. 

For more information:

• City of Portland: South Waterfront
• North Marine Drive (About PDF)
• Portland Development Commission
• Willamette Industrial Urban Renewal Area
• Downtown Waterfront Urban Renewal Area
• 2040 Plan (transportation)
• City of Portland, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability