A graduate student group’s plan for revitalizing Vancouver’s Fourth Plain Boulevard has been nominated for a national award.
Six students in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at Portland State University spent the first half of this year working with the city of Vancouver to create the Fourth Plain Forward Action Plan to fulfill a requirement for their master’s degrees. The plan focuses on economic development and revitalization of a half-mile section of East Fourth Plain Boulevard, a key commercial corridor that’s known as the city’s international business district.
Their work was nominated for the award by PSU faculty.
The American Institute of Certified Planners student project awards “recognize outstanding class projects or papers by a student or group of students in Planning Accreditation Board-accredited planning programs that contribute to advances in the field of planning,” according to www.planning.org.
Nominated in the category “Best Application of the Planning Process,” the Fourth Plain project was the only project PSU recommended for an award, according to Rebecca Kennedy, the city’s Business Assistance Coordinator. Winners will be announced in February.
The students involved in the project were Mandia Gonzales, Jamin Kimmell, Eddie Montejo, Lauren Patton, Kate Rogers and Anthony Thompson.
Greg Schrock, assistant professor of Urban Studies and Planning at PSU, said the faculty felt the Fourth Plain project had “transferability and relevance” to cities and urban regions around the country because of the Fourth Plain area’s economic struggles and ethnic diversity. Longer term, the students’ work likely will serve as the foundation for the Fourth Plain community to be better able to join in city and public-sector agency’s efforts to revitalize the neighborhood, he said.
“In short, ‘impact’ is what makes the Fourth Plain project stand out,” Schrock said Monday.
As part of their work, the students interviewed dozens of neighbors, business owners and community stakeholders on the stretch between Fairmount Avenue to Rossiter Lane, which is surrounded by two of Vancouver’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods of Latino, Eastern European and Asian residents. The area’s challenges include a high poverty rate, low home ownership rate, high commercial vacancy rate, significant homeless population and heavy vehicle traffic volumes.
The project is intended to guide the implementation of the city’s 2007 Fourth Plain Subarea Plan, developed as part of an extensive public process to determine a community vision for the corridor. The 2007 plan led to zoning changes and the area’s designation as a target for federal Community Development Block Grant funds. More wasn’t accomplished due to the recession, according to the PSU students’ report, which identifies steps the city can take to support the stabilization and growth of small business, expand opportunities for families and support local economic development. Goals include holding ongoing community events, improving the area’s safety and appearance and fostering its unique identity.
