Roseway Parkway Placemaking Update
Published: 2023-12-22
Many of you may remember completing a survey about placemaking in the Roseway Parkway last spring. Portland State graduate students, working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), put together an excellent summary of their findings and recommendations. Since then, RNA has combined that input with wishes from the Roseway Wishing Wall. We have also been in touch with PBOT about the design, plan, and implementation, slated for summer of 2024.
We plan to create a welcoming open space for the community to gather, have fun, and make connections. We want to make sure that the space is accessible to those with limited mobility, and inviting to all community members. By activating the intersection and surrounding parkway, we hope to calm traffic on 72nd Ave.
We’re still in the early stages, but based on neighbors' input, here are some of the key elements that we are considering in the placemaking design:
🚲 PBOT will close the segment of NE Mason between the couplets of 72nd Ave to motor vehicle traffic, with bollards to prevent motor vehicle traffic. A bike lane will run through it as part of the new Mason/Skidmore greenway. We plan to paint the street in a colorful mural that conveys play and community. We will have bike racks to encourage people to arrive by bike.
🏀 The intersection will continue to have a basketball hoop, and we will add other pavement games such as foursquare and hopscotch.
🧺 There will be tables for spontaneous gatherings and pop-up events with shade sails and string lights. We plan to add a low stage that can be used for occasional performances. We hope to install large, safe log structures in designated play areas.
🌾 We will have native plants that beautify the area and contribute to a pollinator pathway that we hope will in the future run from the Rose City Golf Course to Prescott and beyond.
✳️ To limit disruption to nearby neighbors, we plan to post signs that designate acceptable activities and hours, and to provide a city-supported trash can.
🌲 We will continue to plant and tend to the parkway trees, which will eventually create a semi-closed canopy across the parkway, providing shade, carbon sequestration, and retaining soil moisture.
What do you think? Whether you completed the survey previously, or are just learning about this now, we want to hear your input on what’s important to you and your concerns. Please add a comment below. If you’d like to get involved, please email rosewayneighborhood@gmail.com.
