New Columbia continues to attract attention
November 17, 2009
Nick was honored to speak at the premiere of "Imagining Home" last Saturday at the Portland Art Museum. The film, from Portlanders Sue Arbuthnot and Richard Wilhelm, chronicles the six-year demolition and rebuilding of the New Columbia housing project in North Portland.
In Saturday's Oregonian, Anna Griffin calls the New Columbia a "grand social experiment, an attempt to both provide decent housing for people in need and prove that folks from different classes and races can live together and get along."
The redesigned development replaces barracks-style buildings with townhouses, garden-style apartments, and single-family homes. It includes a community center, rec facilities, day care, and adult learning centers. The redevelopmentincorporated sustainable building practices, and the redesigned neighborhood features quick access to public transportation and some of Portland's best outdoor recreation areas.