Portland Community College Facilities Plan

Walker Macy led a multi-disciplinary team to develop a comprehensive vision for the entire Portland Community College District, encompassing the institution’s four campuses and multiple centers. The team assessed space use and space needs, demographics and enrollment, workforce program demand, and transportation patterns. The result provides the college with a data-driven plan to aid in ongoing decision-making during a period of intense change due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. The final Facilities Plan includes flexible development plans and recommendations for each campus that focus on the adaptation of facilities to serve PCC’s mission of equitable student success. The plans also identify areas for potential growth and future expansion, preparing the college to make efficient and responsible use of its land as future demands arise. The plan assessed facilities’ long-term resilience and performance, with larger, inefficient buildings studied for adaptive reuse or replacement. The Facilities Plan recommendations will inform a 2022 bond measure to fund near-term campus improvements.

The Walker Macy team worked with PCC to center racial equity through the process and outcomes of the Facilities Plan. A cohort of students of color was recruited as co-researchers and collaborators to help guide the design team in an inclusive approach informed by Critical Race Theory and a Critical Race Spatial Lens. The recommendations in the plan were directly informed by extensive outreach and in-reach to students, employees, neighbors, and other college communities to understand how the college can improve a sense of community and belonging and ensure a welcoming and inclusive place to learn, teach, work, and visit.