The Portland Placemaking Coalition facilitates community placemaking through the empowerment and activation of diverse, intergenerational populations to sustainably reshape their communities. 

What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is the collaborative process of creating pro-social infrastructure where people live, work, play, and learn, strengthening the connections between people, ecosystem, and place. Placemaking is the collective reimagining and reinventing of public spaces to create resiliency and connection within neighborhoods.

Our placemaking approach is rooted in: 

  • Violence Prevention

  • Youth Leadership Development

  • Food Access + Food Security

  • Climate Resiliency + Community Resiliency

  • Pro Social Activated Communities


Reimagining Urban Spaces

We work with community members to reclaim and reimagine underutilized public spaces to create places for people to gather, build connections and create cohesion. By leveraging the wisdom of the neighbors we can together create community-led, neighborhood-specific solutions such as public plazas, kiosks, and public art that serve as a source of community pride.


Ecological Landscaping

We empower people to reclaim their greenspaces to improve local food security, climate resilience, and community engagement. Revitalizing urban areas that are currently vacant or underutilized holds immense potential to uplift neighborhoods, foster stronger bonds between neighbors, decrease crime rates, promote biodiversity by restoring native habitats, create opportunities for local food production, and serve as symbols of progress and vitality within the community.


Social Architecture

Social architecture involves intentionally designing and organizing social structures to influence human behavior and interactions for positive societal outcomes, fostering cohesion and collective well-being within communities. It encompasses the shaping of physical spaces and social policies to facilitate meaningful connections and support networks.