New Columbia
Portland, OR
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Marcy McInelly
Joseph Readdy
Ryan Sulivan -
Mithun
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Winner in Overall Excellence
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement
Mayor’s Award for Design Excellence
Portland Chapter American Institute of Architects, 2007
Merit Awards: Community Revitalization, Design for Transformation, and Transforming Lives During Community Revitalization
National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Three (3)
Best in American Living Awards: Best Urban Smart Growth Neighborhood, Gold Award
National Association of Home Builders
Type
Redevelopment
Size
82 acres
Year
2005
Prior to its transformation, Columbia Villa was a fenced-off, isolated enclave of low-income housing. Urbsworks assisted Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) in a complete redesign of the site that reconnected the community to surrounding neighborhoods, designed walkable streets that connect all residents to new parks and school, and mixed housing types to create a truly integrated community.
![A row of homes in the New Columbia site that notably lack driveways or garages. The homes connect to the sidewalk through small patch from the porch of each home.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/645bc239fe1164722e54cbf1/5a2c2e4f-9e7a-4469-85fe-5ddb17b54221/5.jpeg)
![A walking path connects a series of homes that face one another instead of being divided by a street to create a walkable community.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/645bc239fe1164722e54cbf1/3ee3e76d-5bb6-4455-bb64-816fa6284355/7.jpeg)
The master plan is based upon the New Urbanist principles of connectivity and walkability, and promotes efficient, compact settlement-focused land use and development policies.
![A site plan of the New Columbia project showing an aerial view of the walkable neighborhood.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/645bc239fe1164722e54cbf1/98364760-d8d1-417e-af0b-e1388e816eb3/3.jpg)
A site plan of the New Columbia project showing an aerial view of the walkable neighborhood.
![A stormwater bioswale located on the street of the community.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/645bc239fe1164722e54cbf1/3fb3375e-7580-4dc3-9615-5175deb80102/4.jpg)
A stormwater bioswale located on the street of the community.
![A few residents playing basketball at the court located in the New Columbia site.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/645bc239fe1164722e54cbf1/b7c966da-372b-47eb-a628-a5aaddb8892e/6.jpeg)
A few residents playing basketball at the court located in the New Columbia site.
Read our blog post to learn more about the New Columbia project.
A Deeper Dive