From the Core to the Fringe: Out and About with University of Victoria, BC

It was a great couple of days. This delegation of 30 students and faculty from University of Victoria, BC, visited Portland as part of a nine city tour of the Pacific Northwest (Cascadia) Region. (No, Portland was not their "First Stop.") Their goal was to examine the constraints and opportunities for and within resilient and sustainable cities. Their study tour focused on comparing implementation of best practices across the city--exploring places where Portland really works as well as places where it struggles. Touching on a range of themes, their study tour explored the story of displacement and re-emplacement in both the African-American and Asian communities in Portland.

The study tour was developed by First Stop's student ambassadors: Sindre Fredsvik, Seth Lowe, Audra Cody, and Yelena Sasin. They did a bang-up job and many thanks to them for their efforts on this tour. (And on behalf of First Stop all year long!)

Their first day of programming, called "Transportation, Arts & Community: Development in the Interstate Urban Renewal Corridor," took the delegation from Expo Center to N. Williams, with stops in the Kenton and Mississippi neighborhoods along the way. Their second day, called "A City Divided: The Story of Division Street from City Center to the Urban Fringe," had them in the Pearl District, Old Town/China Town, Cartopia (Se 12th & Hawthorne), Clinton/Division Neighborhood, Cafe Au Play, PCC's Southeast Center, and Fubonn Shopping Mall on SE 82nd Ave.

The students--from PSU and U-Vic--are preparing their reports now, which we'll share with you when they're completed. Meantime, enjoy these pictures from their study tour.