Transformations in Portland & Cascadia

This report has been produced by students and faculty who travelled together on field trips in 2023 and 2024 to Portland and the greater region of Cascadia, in the Pacific Northwest of the US. It captures reflections on Portland’s multi-layered urban transformations, exploring the city’s contrasting identities as a progressive, sustainable hub and a site of significant social challenges, including homelessness, racial inequities, and gentrification, within a context driving for greater environmental sustainability and local development. Through a combination of group research projects and personal reflections, students critically engaged with Portland’s socioeconomic landscape, infrastructure, and governance, revealing tensions between the city’s ideals and the realities of its residents’ lived experiences.