Skip to main content
ASLA 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture Main banner
Back
Session Guide

90-Minute Education Session

FRI-C05: Centering Community Voices in Equitable Design Solutions: Restorative Justice on Portland’s I-5

Friday, October 27, 2023
1:30pm – 3:00pm CT
1.50 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AIA/HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

This session will review how historic racist housing policies led to systemic inequities, disinvestment, and displacement of minority communities. We will address Portland’s Lower Albina neighborhood, where the construction of I-5 displaced Portland’s Black community, and how community-centered engagement and landscape architecture can be tools for restorative justice.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Review how past racist housing policies led to disinvestment in and, ultimately, the displacement of minority communities.
  • Understand the importance of a community-centered engagement approach when working with a community harmed by past injustices.
  • Explore how landscape architects and urban designers can provide physical planning solutions and a guide for policies that reinforce community aspirations through design scenarios and consensus-building.
  • Review governance strategies that empower community members, protect against further displacement, and ensure that future development supports the creation of long-term benefits for historically harmed communities