2024 AIA Eugene Construction Craft Awards

The recipients of the 2024 Construction Craft Awards gather for recognition during the October 22, 2024 awards banquet in the Ford Alumni Center ballroom.

Did you know that the Craftsmanship Awards was the first initiative of the American Institute of Architects Southwestern Oregon Chapter following the organization’s chartering back in 1952? The long-running program—now named the Construction Craft Awards and administered by the Eugene Section of AIA Oregon—aims to highlight those who have mastered their craft, whether on specific projects or throughout their careers, by celebrating their exceptional skills and dedication to the work they perform.

 
The 2024 edition of the Construction Craft Awards was the first since 2019, and thus long overdue. I was pleased to see the Lee Barlow Giustina Ballroom at the University of Oregon’s Ford Alumni Center filled last Tuesday evening and the enthusiasm for the presentation of this year’s awards. It bodes well for the Eugene Section’s ongoing efforts to expand its outreach in the lasting wake of the pandemic through collaborative design-focused events and activities.
 
As in previous years, the success of the Construction Craft Awards was reliant upon the nominations of those individuals who AIA Eugene members believed best exemplified the time-honored ideals of craftsmanship. The following are the outstanding recipients of the 2024 awards: 

• Jon Baugus – Superintendent, Chambers Construction(1)
• Steve Kurtz – Exterior finisher (envelope and waterproofing), Xtreme Xteriors, Inc.
• Steve Otto – Finish carpenter, Ordell Construction Co.
• Steve Perkins – Mason, Hap’s Masonry, Inc.
• Rick Robertson – General contractor/owner, Six Degrees Construction Co.
• Ryan Thomas – General contractor, Ryan Thomas Construction, LLC
• The Ponds Team – Essex General Construction, Inc.

This list’s diversity speaks to the breadth of means by which true craftsmanship may be achieved and recognized. The Construction Craft Awards underscore the importance and contributions of key individuals within the diverse teams involved with the execution of the most successful building projects.
 
Our technology-fueled, accelerated existence seemingly leaves little room anymore for the application of measured, considered craft in the execution of buildings. That said, exemplary craftsmanship always shines through. You recognize it immediately. Fundamentally, it reflects the pride and meticulous attention to detail invested by highly skilled tradespersons in the production of the most useful and beautiful objects, buildings, and places. 
 
Kudos to all the 2024 Construction Craft Award recipients. Clearly, this legacy of recognition is one AIA Eugene should endeavor to maintain for years to come.
 
(1)    I wrote a letter of endorsement for Jon’s nomination. Jon served as Chambers Construction’s superintendent for Phase 1 of the Civic Park project.

Design :: Resilience - The 2024 University of Oregon Reynolds Symposium

October 18-19, 2024 

Oregon State Treasury Building (photo by Tom Hahn).

The 2024 Reynolds Symposium will bring together a diverse group of designers, academics, researchers, public servants, and others to explore resilience in the face of shifting ecologies, communities, and climate disruptions. 

This event will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, and an interactive design activity focused on resilience. Attendees will also have opportunities to network with presenters and peers during extended breaks. A highlight of the symposium includes an optional tour of the Oregon State Treasury’s new U.S. Resiliency Council (USRC) Platinum-rated headquarters in Salem. 

The discussions will address the immediate challenges posed by storms, wildfires, and earthquakes, alongside the broader, long-term impacts of climate change on water, food systems, and migration. The symposium will delve into how professionals in architecture, landscape, and interior design can shape environments that not only withstand these challenges but also foster thriving communities. 

Key topics include real-world examples and strategies for resilient design at various scales, from neighborhood resource hubs that strengthen social ties to urban infrastructure that maintains critical services. The symposium will also explore the relationship between resilience and sustainability, examining whether these two concepts are complementary or distinct. 

Dynamic and interactive sessions will allow participants to engage deeply with these ideas through exhibitions, workshops, and panel discussions led by experts in the field. Attendees can earn up to 8 AIA LU/HSW continuing education credits. 

Attend the symposium October 18-19, 2024 and leave ready to help shape the future of resilient design. 

Organizing Committee 

• Tom Hahn, UO Career Instructor, Architecture 
• John Reynolds, UO Professor Emeritus, Architecture 
• Alison Kwok, UO Professor, Architecture 
• Nicholas Rajkovich, Associate Professor, University at Buffalo 
• Maria Coronado Cabrera, UO PhD Candidate, Architecture 
• Lindsay Ahmed, BARCH & Sophia Blatnik, MARCH, UO student coordinators 

Symposium Sponsors

• UO Architecture Reynolds Endowment 
• UO Architecture Davis Family Fund 
• AIA Oregon 

Registration Information

Early-bird registration closes Monday, September 16. The registration includes all sessions, keynotes, panel discussions, the building tour, and meals. Up to 8 AIA LU/HSW credits are available. There will be no live streaming of the event. 

REGISTER NOW through Eventbrite: click Link: HERE

Celebrating Unthank Seder Poticha

Mark your calendars: The evening of September 17, 2024, will bring the local design community together to celebrate the work of one of Eugene’s most notable 20th century architectural practices: Unthank Seder Poticha Architects. Presented by the nascent Northwest Center for Architecture, the event promises to be a joyous occasion, not only because it will acknowledge the firm’s outsized impact on the local architectural scene, but also because it will mark Otto Poticha, FAIA’s ninetieth birthday.

The Northwest Center for Architecture is the brainchild of Abraham Kelso, principal with Marinbow Design Services and an adjunct instructor at the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture & Environment. I had the pleasure of learning more from Abe about the Center while meeting over coffee at Vero Espresso this past Friday. His vision for the institution is for it to become akin to the internationally renowned Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal, likewise producing original exhibitions and publications, albeit with an Oregon focus and a far more modest mandate. Abe’s secondary goal is that the Northwest Center for Architecture will one day have its own brick & mortar home as a venue for exhibits and repository for archival-quality drawings and documents.

Abe is currently preparing his manuscript for a monograph documenting the work of Unthank Seder Poticha. Rather than primarily photo-documenting the constructed projects, Abe’s added focus is upon the genesis and design process for each. As an architect, I always find learning the inside story—the who, what, when, where, why, and how—fascinating and informative. Being pretty alone does not make a successful project; good architecture is much more. It is functional, durable, contextual, sustainable, as well as aesthetically pleasing. My hope is Abe will emphasize all these aspects in his assessments of the Unthank Seder Poticha projects he chooses to present.

Alas, I will miss the September 17 celebration as coincidentally I will be in Montreal on a trip I have had planned for months (one that includes a visit to the CCA). There is no way I would otherwise not be on hand to honor Otto’s milestone birthday and to listen to him recount his successful partnership with De and Grant, a legacy that is unrivaled here in Lane County. I truly wish I could be in two places at the same time.

Following is the Northwest Center for Architecture’s announcement for the event:

Celebrating Unthank Seder Poticha

You are cordially invited to celebrate the life and work of three architects who helped shape the Eugene we know and love today: DeNorval Unthank, Grant Seder, and Otto Poticha, who from 1968-1986 practiced together as Unthank Seder Poticha Architects. 

They designed, either individually or collaboratively, many iconic campus buildings: McKenzie Hall, the Clinical Services Building, the Health Services Building, and the Lew Romania dealership "potato chip" building, as well as the Handball and Tennis Courts, which received a national energy award. On top of that, their many years of teaching and reviewing student work left an incalculable impact on the strength of our graduates.

In Eugene at-large, they were single-handedly responsible for creating the 5th Avenue Special Area Zone, which dramatically reshaped civic and commercial life in downtown Eugene. They designed or renovated many buildings in the downtown core and developed successful experiments in dense urban living (High Street Rowhouses, Lincoln Terrace). They designed the Lane County Public Service Building (also the recipient of a national energy award), notable professional services buildings (the Bus Barn, the High Street Office Building, the Forum Building, among others), and the surrounding hills are dotted with their innovative residential structures. 

High Street Rowhouses (Google Street View)

Lincoln Terrace (Google Street View)

Lane County Public Service Building (Google Street View)

In Portland, they designed the magnet performing arts educational facility, Harriet Tubman Middle School, as well as adapted an aging firehouse into the beloved Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, among other civic and residential projects.

The Albany Public Library, The Local Government Center in Salem, the list goes on! The Willamette Valley is richer for their work . . . not to mention the coast, the mountains, and the high plains to the east.

We will be gathering for a night of celebration and stories about some truly incredible practitioners, whose work made Oregon a better place, as well as fundraising to support a permanent home for the Unthank Seder Poticha archive and the publication of a comprehensive monograph of their work. 

Please join us. 

The Very Little Theatre, Eugene, OR

Doors at 6pm, Event at 7pm

September 17th, 2024

Farmers Market Pavilion and Plaza Tour

 

Interior of the Farmers Market Pavilion (all photos by me).

Another week, another well-attended tour of a noteworthy project in Eugene. This time, the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, AIA Eugene, and the Willamette Valley Section of ASLA Oregon teamed to provide an insider’s look at the Farmers Market Pavilion and Plaza, which are rapidly approaching completion. During the tour, key members of the design and construction team provided a wealth of background information, greatly enhancing tour-goers’ understanding about what is destined to become a transformative project for downtown Eugene.
 
Our tour guides included Tanner Perrine, Senior Project Manager with Lease Crutcher Lewis (and current CSI Willamette Valley Chapter president) and Assistant Project Manager Riley Allen. Tanner and Riley described unique aspects of the construction process, including the decision to procure the pavilion’s cross-laminated timber panels from nearby D.R. Johnson Lumber Co. rather than a lower-cost Canadian source. This decision reflected Lewis’ commitment to sourcing products locally and minimizing the project’s carbon footprint, but also the challenges and uncertainties associated with cross-border commerce.

(l to r): Matt Koehler, Riley Allen, and Tanner Perrine.

Farmers Market Pavilion

 
Matt Koehler, ASLA, LEED AP, principal with Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning, and Christine Rumi, RA, LEED AP, associate partner with FFA Architecture & Interiors, ably presented the design team’s perspective. As I reported previously, the Farmer’s Market Pavilion and Market Plaza comprise just the initial phase of the greater Eugene Town Square redevelopment of Eugene’s historic park blocks. Matt addressed the challenges posed by the necessity of anticipating the Town Square’s phased development in the project’s design, as well as the Lane County Farmers Market mandate to utilize “hard” surfaces to accommodate as many vendor’s booths as possible (disqualifying the incorporation of lawn areas). Christine highlighted FFA’s strategic use of a simple, luminous form that not only alludes to agricultural greenhouses, but also wrings the biggest possible bang out of a very limited budget.

Interior view looking north.

Cross section of CLT wall panel.

 

What impressed me most during the tour is the spaciousness of both the pavilion interior and the plaza outside, which isn’t immediately evident if you only view the design while passing by the site in a car. Vendors and shoppers alike will enjoy a more interconnected, shared experience and sense of place than offered by any of the market’s previous incarnations. I suspect the combination of interior and exterior space for vendor booths will lead to the participation of more growers, enhancing the selection and variety of produce offerings.

View looking west across the Market Plaza toward the Pavilion. Note the pattern of different types of concrete paving. The areas around the trees will be infilled with tightly compacted decomposed granite.

 

When completed, Cameron McCarthy’s assertive patterning of colored and hand-seeded aggregate concrete panels, and decomposed granite will complement the relative plainness of the Market Pavilion. Matt said the composition of the concrete and DG panels alludes to the modernist design for the two Park Blocks to the south across 8th avenue, for which the art of painter Piet Mondrian inspired Wilmsen Endicott Architects and Lloyd Bond Landscape Architect’s 1958 design. The quality of the Market Plaza concrete already in place is outstanding, with nary a cracked panel in sight. 

I did find the 8,500 sf pavilion perhaps a tad too refined and crystalline in character. The board and batten lower walls will be painted white, further reinforcing its iceberg-like appearance. The polycarbonate panels that clad its upper surfaces aren’t as transparent as FFA’s renderings suggested they would be. On the other hand, the building’s simple form will function as a backdrop for the bustle of activities on the Market Plaza and suitably defer to a future Eugene City Hall, to be constructed at the north end of the plaza.  

West wall of the market hall. The metal straps toward the top of the wall are structural and will be concealed behind acoustical wall panels.

 
Whereas the exterior of the pavilion is icily cool, the exposed mass timber framing and CLT panels inside are warm and inviting. Most of the wood will remain exposed, but the upper portion of the west wall that separates the market hall from support spaces will be covered by acoustical panels to dampen reverberant noise. That surface will additionally host a specially commissioned piece of art. Likewise, the City of Eugene selected an artist to paint a mural on a portion of the building’s exterior facing West Park Street. I expect the art pieces to add a desirable touch of color to the building.
 

West side of the Pavilion, facing West Park Street. The area of yellow panels will receive a painted mural.

The Lane County Farmers Market intends to move in and welcome the community to the new Market Pavilion and Plaza on Memorial Day weekend, less than two short months from now. I’m looking forward to seeing the design come alive, bringing active uses back to what historically had been part of Eugene’s most important civic open space.

Women in Construction Week

Robin Langcamp, current Secretary (also a past-president) of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Eugene Chapter #77, brought this year’s Women in Construction Week to my attention. Taking place March 7 through 13, the week will highlight the significant role of women in all aspects of the construction industry. Women in Construction Week also provides an occasion for the thousands of NAWIC members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women and to emphasize the growing role of women in the construction field. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. 

NAWIC’s 117 chapters provide their members with opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, public service, and more. Founded in 1953, the association advocates for the value and impact of women builders, professionals, and tradeswomen. The not-for-profit organization promotes women's advancement and growth in the construction industry through education, support, and community involvement. 

During Women in Construction Week, all NAWIC chapters are hosting events intended to showcase the rich history of women in what was traditionally a male-dominated industry. The event coincides with Women’s History Month, which allows Women in Construction Week to capitalize on the synergies found in such topics as the history of women’s rights, striking a balance as a working mother, and how to be a mentor to young girls. 

The calendar of events hosted by Eugene Chapter #77 is as follows: 

Monday, March 8th

International Women's Day!

Join the Eugene Chapter over Zoom to learn more about who NAWIC is.

6:00 PM PST - Why NAWIC?

7:00 PM PST - Zoom meet & greet with games and prizes!

Wednesday, March 10th

Attend the Eugene Chapter’ March membership meeting via Zoom

5:30 PM PST - Meet & greet during Happy (1/2) Hour

6:00 PM PST - Monthly meeting program: the Eugene Riverfront redevelopment

Thursday, March 11th

Join the Eugene Chapter and the rest of the NAWIC Pacific Northwest Region for a regional party!

6:00 PM PST - Virtual PNW Party!

Friday, March 12th

Everyone is welcome to join the Eugene Chapter for a social stroll starting at Alton Baker Park.

5:30 PM PST - Socially Distanced Social Walk - Pets Welcome!

The Eugene Chapter has put up billboards to draw attention to this year’s Women in Construction Week. The billboards will be up from now through the end of March. I’m looking forward to seeing them around town when I’m out and about. 

You don’t have to be a NAWIC member to participate but do RSVP to the Eugene Chapter by emailing nawic.eugene77@gmail.com. And if you want to be stylin’ for Women in Construction Week, NAWIC Eugene Chapter #77 has an assortment of NAWIC logo gear, including lightweight hoodie cardigans, sweatshirt cardigans, and masks for purchase.

Make sure to share your Women in Construction Week pictures, NAWIC posts, and stories to social media using the tags #womeninconstruction2021 #wicweek2021 and #nawicwicweek2021!

Lane County Justice Center Information & Input Session

UPDATE: The Open House has been cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus and recommendations about social distancing and avoidance of large groups. The event will likely be rescheduled to a future date to be determined. Stay tuned.

The 61-year old Lane County Courthouse is beset by numerous shortcomings. Many of these, such as the building’s limited size and infrastructural weaknesses, are largely insurmountable. The current courthouse is now serving twice the population it was originally designed for back in the 1950s. Space limitations cause inefficiencies that lead to late start times, delays in the courtroom, and juggling of locations. There is no space to add programs that could speed resolutions. The building puts courthouse users, victims, and defendants close to each other, posing obvious risks. Equitable access is severely lacking in many instances, including within the courtrooms, restrooms, and the Grand Jury room.

Lane County retained Robertson/Sherwood/Architects (my firm) in 2018 to assist with identifying a prudent project scope for a new replacement. Working with national judicial facility experts DLR Group, we analyzed the 2016 Court Facility Needs Assessment prepared by the National Center for State Courts and tested the appropriateness of the former Eugene City Hall block as a site for a new courthouse. We worked closely with staff representing the Lane County Circuit Court, Lane County District Attorney, and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office in this effort, ultimately developing a proposal with an associated budget for presentation to the county electorate in May of 2019.

The results of that election were clear as a broad majority failed to support the proposed bond issue. Unfortunately, the need for a new courthouse hasn’t gone away, and the current facility’s challenges will only become more acute with each passing year if nothing is done.

Since last May’s vote, the County has worked to identify the best path forward. This effort has included meeting with and polling community members to determine the reasons for their rejection of that ballot measure. Many voters believed there were too many outstanding questions about the project, so the project team is working to address those questions and ask the community for feedback. This effort includes an electronic survey (conducted between October 2019 and January of this year), community events, and conversations around the county to give community members a chance to learn more and to respond with their thoughts.

Clearly, there was a significant level of misunderstanding among voters about what the proposed project entailed. Many people unfamiliar with the current courthouse and its functions questioned the need for a new facility, some confusing it with the nearby and relatively new federal courthouse. Others conflated the controversies associated with the Eugene City Hall project with the County’s purchase of the former City Hall site and the ask for a new building. A significant number of voters were not aware of the full variety of services provided in the current courthouse (this has prompted the County’s switch from using the term “courthouse” to “justice center”).

At a high level, citizens emphasized concerns about the cost of the project. Admittedly, a new courthouse/justice center will not be inexpensive. That said, the County heard the message loud and clear, so our team has thoroughly examined trade-offs and opportunities to decrease costs.

Notably, if local voters support a bond issue for a new Lane County Justice Center, the State of Oregon would provide a 50% funding match for the portion of the project associated with the courts portion of the program. This match is available thanks to legislation intended to address a “serious, statewide infrastructure problem;” however, Lane County will not receive any State funding if it cannot secure its citizens’ approval.

The County is hosting a public Open House in the existing courthouse, which presents a unique opportunity for everyone to tour the facility and see the building’s shortcomings firsthand. I encourage my readers to attend and learn more about the project status and add your perspectives and insights. Here are the details:

What:              Lane County Justice Center: Community Information & Input Session

When:             Thursday, March 12; 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Where:            Lane County Courthouse lobby, 125 E. 8^th Avenue, Eugene

Cost:                Free. Refreshments provided

RSVP:              No registration or RSVP required

The project team (which also includes the public engagement consulting firm Cogito) has already met with various interest groups (including the legal community, accessibility advocates, social services providers, and business leaders) and conducted outreach in general at numerous public outlets. We’ve harvested important and encouraging feedback, which we hope to build upon at this week’s event.

Me "holding court" with one of the Justice Center's design input groups (photo by Christopher Trotchie)

Ultimately, we’ll use the information we gather to help the Board of County Commissioners decide whether to again refer the question of a new building to Lane County voters.  

If you can’t make it to Thursday’s community Open House, be sure to check out the project’s website, which is chock-full of helpful information. If your time is short, at least take a moment to watch the video on the home page. In less than three brief minutes, the eye-opening piece highlights the existing courthouse’s myriad deficiencies.

2019 People’s Choice Award Winners

Frank Visconti, AIA emceed the 2019 People's Choice Awards presentation at Civic Winery, October 23, 2019 (my photo)

Each year, the American Institute of Architects Oregon Chapter/Eugene Section (AIA Eugene), in collaboration with the Willamette Valley Section of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), sponsors the People’s Choice Awards for Architecture. These awards aim to educate and inspire our fellow citizens by showcasing architecture, interiors, and landscape architecture projects created within the AIA Eugene section area by AIA or ASLA members. The program demonstrates to the public the role of the architectural profession in enhancing the built environment by showcasing the talents of AIA Eugene and ASLA members. 

It’s hard to believe, but this year marked the 30th year of the People's Choice Awards. The projects presented for consideration were uniformly of a high quality, a testament to the maturation and increasing skill of local design professionals. Voting opened during the September 22 Eugene Sunday Streets event and continued through September 30, with the public and AIA and ASLA members alike casting their ballots either at the display of projects boards in the Broadway Commerce Center or online through the AIA Eugene website. 

As in previous years, the public voted for their favorite projects across an assortment of categories. Eugene mayor Lucy Vinis announced her Mayor’s Choice winners in a special video, demonstrating her thoughtfulness and consideration of issues of importance to the built environment in the city she leads. AIA Eugene and ASLA members also identified their selections in the Colleagues’ Choice voting. 

The awards presentation took place last Wednesday evening at Civic Winery in downtown Eugene. Attendance at the event was very good (60+ AIA Eugene and ASLA members, contractors, and clients were on hand) to enjoy the presentation of the awards, each other’s company, and an assortment of wine varieties and hor’d'oeuvres. 

The People’s Choice Awards program would not have been a success without the support of the following generous sponsors: 

• AIA Eugene 
• Advance Cabinet Designs 
• Arbor South Architecture 
• Central Print & Reprographic Services 
• McClain Consulting & Construction 
• Rowell Brokaw Architects 
• Rubenstein’s

Without further ado, here is the list of the 2019 award winners: 

People's Choice Award Winners: 

Public Landscape: Rockridge Park / Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture and Planning 

Residential Landscape: The Joseph Garden / Stangeland & Associates 

Institutional Landscape: Heartfelt House / Schirmer Satre Group 

Single-Family Residential: Coastal Tiny Home / Nir Pearlson Architect 

Multi-Family Housing: Amazon Corner / Rowell Brokaw Architects 

Public/Institutional: Heartfelt Guest House / 2fORM Architecture 

Commercial: Mahonia Mixed-Use Building / Arkin Tilt Architects 

Interiors: Mahonia Building Interiors / Nir Pearlson Architect 

Unbuilt: New David Minor Theater / Willard C. Dixon Architect 

2019 Mayor’s Choice Award Winners: 

Courtyard House / 2fORM Architecture 

Blossom Cottages / Arbor South Architecture 

The Bard / Q Sterry Inspired Arehitecture 

2019 Colleague’s Choice Winner: 

1203 Willamette Street / Rowell Brokaw Architects 

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

2019 AIA Eugene People's Choice Awards & Sunday Streets!

Find your way downtown tomorrow, Sunday, September 22 for the City of Eugene’s end of summer Sunday Streets celebration. The first Sunday Streets took place in 2011, and since then it’s become Eugene’s single largest community event. This year’s edition will kick off with the EUG Parade at 11:00 AM. The parade’s route will include a loop around 8th Avenue, Monroe Street, Broadway, and Oak Street. Sunday Streets will also feature activity centers at the Park Blocks, Monroe Park, and Kesey Square with free bike repairs, live music, yoga, dance, food carts and more throughout the afternoon. View the 2019 event map and activities schedule here. 

While you’re enjoying everything Sunday Streets has to offer, be sure to check out the 2019 edition of the perennially popular AIA Eugene People’s Choice Awards display, which will debut during the event at the Broadway Commerce Center (44 W. Broadway). Everyone is welcome to vote for their favorite designs in several categories. The project boards will remain at the Broadway Commerce Center until October 1, so if you can’t make it to Sunday Streets you’ll have plenty of time to view the project boards and cast your votes. Online voting will also be available through the AIA Eugene web page. AIA Eugene will announce the winning projects at a forthcoming section meeting (my guess is at either the October or November meeting). 

AIA Eugene thanks this year’s sponsors for their support of the 2019 People’s Choice Awards program: 

• Advanced Cabinet Designs Inc.
• Arbor South Architecture 
• Central Print & Reprographic Services
• Rowell Brokaw Architects 
• Rubenstein’s

The City of Eugene’s goals for Sunday Streets include giving community members an opportunity to explore the city’s neighborhoods by foot or by bike, and to rethink streets as public spaces. By temporarily closing them to vehicular traffic, people can more easily imagine how our streets—more than merely serving as a means to drive from here to there—can play a broader role as truly vital public arenas for commerce, socialization, community celebration, and recreation. Our streets can be great destinations, especially if we imagine them first and foremost as places for people rather than cars. Ultimately, the benefits of people-oriented streets will include improved health, reduced dependence on motor vehicles, increased awareness of sustainable transportation options, increased neighborhood livability, and new opportunities for local businesses. 

In due course, citizens will become the leading advocates for projects to improve our streets so they are more holistic, pedestrian-friendly, and focused upon the critical public space role many should play within our urban fabric. ROW changes including safe pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure, pedestrian-scaled lighting, attractive and durable street furniture, landscaping, public art, and other features will in turn encourage private investment in aesthetically diverse and interesting exteriors and building entrances, patios, ample street-level windows, and public seating. To quote Fred Kent of Project for Public Spaces, “If you plan for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.” 

I hope to see you tomorrow enjoying Sunday Streets and voting at the People’s Choice display. Put on your walking shoes (and if the weather forecast holds, bring your umbrellas!). 

Town Square: Final Draft Design

Eugene Town Square Final Draft Design presentation, September 12, 2019 (my photo)

The City of Eugene and the design team led by Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning revealed the final draft design for Eugene Town Square at the well-attended “September Shindig” this past Thursday on the downtown Park Blocks. Like the previous project kickoff meeting in May and July’s presentation of three initial design concepts for Eugene Town Square, the event was festive and informative, and very much a community-building fete. 

The final draft design reflects both Cameron McCarthy’s own melding of the best aspects of the initial concepts and the feedback received from citizens in response to them. Such an approach could have yielded a disjointed plan—a rambling amalgam as opposed to a cohesive scheme—but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Instead, the design promises to unify the Park Blocks, the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, and the new City Hall & Farmers Market Block in a way that is synergistic. The whole will certainly be much more than the sum of its parts. 

Final Draft Design Plan

Some of the key features of the final draft design include: 

• Rightsizing of traffic lanes to slow traffic 
• Retention of the most significant existing trees 
• Addition of new trees to increase the overall quantity of shade and canopy cover to ensure the Town Square has a full, healthy, urban forest for generations (the new trees will be of species able to survive hotter, drier conditions) 
• Use of water-wise plantings to reduce runoff and demand for irrigation 
• Expansion of the Farmers Market area by 250% 
• A pattern of open spaces on the southwest and southeast blocks that works with the current Saturday Market tent layout 
• Retention of most parking and key routes for vehicle access 
• Improved outdoor space for the current neighboring businesses 
• Provisions for future buildings to connect to Town Square 
• More locations for food trucks and carts 
• A permanent covered stage for musical performances on the southeast block 
• A variety of subspaces for gatherings of all sizes 
• The ability to shut down streets to make room for large, special events

A clear goal of the design is to be the premier open space in the heart of downtown, something very much different from all the other parks in Eugene. I like that it will be a focus for so much that is a hallmark of great public squares around the world: well-defined outdoor spaces that are useful, significant, and full of life. The proposed design for Eugene Town Square skillfully employs axes, vistas, water features, trees, generous lawn areas, and a combination of event-oriented and passive spaces. 

You can view the plans and renderings for the final draft concept here. You can also share your thoughts about the design by participating in the latest online survey. 

The City and Cameron McCarthy have continually met with key stakeholders, including representatives from the Saturday Market, Farmers Market, downtown businesses, the arts community, and many others. Hundreds more attended one, two, or all three of the public involvement parties. Thousands have connected with the project through the online surveys and via email and social media. The goals have been to honor all voices by listening, recognizing and valuing a diversity of opinions, and to genuinely respond to ideas, critiques, comments, and praise. 

Farmers Market rendering

Overall, the scope and quality of the Town Square outreach programs and speaking engagements has been impressive. This may be the most encouraging aspect of the project so far. That said, a glance at who the respondents to the first survey were reveals they may not be entirely representative of the breadth of the community. Interestingly, the largest single number reported living in the 97405 area code, and their household income level averaged significantly above the City’s median. Generally, a shortcoming of public involvement processes is underrepresentation of certain constituencies despite truly earnest efforts to ensure inclusivity. 

If the City and Cameron McCarthy adhere to the schedule published at the outset of the public involvement process, we can all look forward to seeing the final design sometime in October. At that time, a written summary report and public hearing will accompany the presentation of the final concept. In addition to further refinement of the concept, the next phase of the project will dive more deeply into public art, materials, furnishings, specific plant types, and signage. Whether funds exist to fully implement the final design will undoubtedly be a matter for discussion by our city leaders.