Crossing the Columbia: What Does It Mean?
In March 2010, PDXplore and the Architecture Foundation of Oregon partnered to present the exhibition and forum Crossing the Columbia: What Does It Mean? The goals were to help the public better understand the magnitude of the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) and its impact on the region, to advance awareness of Design and its important role in the Urban Planning process, and to inspire broad discussion about the CRC’s potential to achieve Design Excellence. With more than 500 attendees, the forum engaged a wide-reaching audience including: elected officials, community leaders, neighborhood associations, special interest groups, the architecture and design community, students and educators, and interested individuals.
A short video has been produced that captures some of the key questions and points posed during the forum’s highlight evening, Fresh Design Perspectives.
This event featured provocative discussion about the CRC project among a distinguished panel of international design experts and scholars: Pulitzer prize-winning Boston Globe architecture critic, Robert Campbell; artist, Ed Carpenter; former mayor, outgoing Director of Design for the National Endowment for the Arts and University of Virginia architecture professor, Maurice Cox; Toronto architect and urban design consultant, Ken Greenberg; and author of The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River, Stanford University Professor and MacArthur Fellow, Richard White.
Click here to watch the complete video on Vimeo (19 minutes):
Columbia Crossing: What Does It Mean?
The video may also be watched in these shorter segments posted on YouTube:
Columbia Crossing: What Does It Mean? Part 1 of 3
Columbia Crossing: What Does It Mean?Part 2 of 3
Columbia Crossing: What Does It Mean?Part 3 of 3
The CRC project will impact the Portland-Vancouver region for decades and demands a clear vision of its far-reaching economic, ecological, cultural and social significance. With the increasingly timely goal of broadening the discussion about the CRC’s potential to achieve Design Excellence, we encourage you to make your voice heard. The Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project site, where you can subscribe to receive updates, contains information about current plans, public meetings, reports and deadlines. Additional questions, discussions and ideas can be found at PDXplore.
