When Portland tore up a freeway to build a waterfront park in the 1970s, it helped kick-start the rejuvenation of the downtown area.

But the emphasis in that case was on green space, rather than buildings.

“What resulted was basically a green strip,” said Randy Gragg, the co-director of Design Portland.

It’s been a successful green strip, attracting all kinds of annual events. But, in effect, building the park meant the city took a step back from the Willamette River. Gragg said now the city wants to re-embrace the river and breathe new life into downtown.

“The park’s really cut off from downtown by Naito Parkway,” Gragg said. “So, this design competition is an opportunity to really rethink how we use the park. How it functions in the city. How it pays for itself.”

Now Portland’s holding its first international design competition in over 20 years. Three top design firms are tasked with reimagining Tom McCall Waterfront Park, all funded by a $750,000 Metro 2040 grant.

A panel of local and international judges from Portland and from Harvard and Johns Hopkins universities selected the three firms, out of 50 submissions from 15 countries.

“With the change in the nature of downtown from being an employment and shopping district to being kind of empty, there’s a need to rethink what downtown is about,” Gragg said.

The three shortlisted teams are SWA from New York, the Bjarke Ingels Group from Brooklyn and Studio Egret West Limited from London.

The city held an event in late September to present the design firms.

All kinds of ideas are being entertained, from a floating park to a concert bowl, shops, cafes and even a swimming beach with docks.

The redesign is a key part of Mayor Keith Wilson’s plans for the city.

“Portland’s waterfront is ready for a new chapter, and these three teams bring the bold ideas and creativity to help us shape it,” Wilson said in a statement. “Their work will give Portlanders a glimpse of what’s possible — a waterfront that’s more connected, more welcoming, and more reflective of who we are and who we want to be.”

The last time Portland held an international design competition was in 2003. It resulted in OHSU’s aerial tram.

Gragg hopes this new competition will give Portland a win.

“Portlanders have a lot of Vancouver envy right now,” Gragg said. “They did such a fabulous job with their waterfront.”

In recent years, several U.S. cities have been embracing their aging waterfronts with big new projects, like the Chicago Riverwalk, Seattle’s Elliott Bay and Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Park.

During the next stage of this competition, the teams will develop designs for the whole 30-acre park, with special a focus on the bowl area north of RiverPlace Hotel.

Once a design is chosen, it will be up to local politicians, philanthropists, and business and community leaders to find money to pay for it. Constructing a concert bowl venue alone could cost more than $40 million. That kind of expenditure will require state, federal, local and other funding.

“Money follows good ideas,” a hopeful Gragg said.

While big ideas take time to build, Art Pearce with the Portland Parks and Recreation hopes some ideas from the competition can be realized quickly.

“What we’re hoping to see is more year-round, small-scale activations start to complement the existing large festivals that are already happening in Waterfront Park, so that there’s a reason to come every day,” Pearce said.

Some beloved parts of the park are likely to remain, including the Japanese American Historical Plaza, the mature cherry trees and Salmon Street Springs fountain. But they could be enhanced.

The three design teams will present their ideas in January.

“I can’t wait to see their visions take shape and to hear from the community as we imagine this future together,” Mayor Wilson said in a statement.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/11/12/portland-waterfront-park-design-competition/