Abstract: Carol Mayer-Reed
Hayden Island belongs to Portland, Oregon... or does it?
Between the 1920s and 1960s, Jantzen Beach Amusement Park was one of the city's most vital entertainment destinations. In the 1970s, it was redeveloped as a regional shopping center. Does Hayden Island portray a unique river-related community or a big box retail district that simply reflects a difference in taxation structure of two states?
Hayden Island is the only island in Portland with residential, commercial and industrial districts. Physically fragmented by I-5, it experiences some of the worst traffic congestion on the west coast. By geography, it's the front door to Portland and the State of Oregon. Yet its character, as observed from I-5, does not reflect the culture, quality of life or values of our city.
- Who lives on Hayden Island and what is its unique sense of community?
- How can the island be more strongly associated with a marine lifestyle and commerce, its river setting and natural amenities rather than an incongruent big box retail district?
- Stemming the greatest river of the west, what is Hayden Island's potential as a scenic gateway that better reflects Portland and the State of Oregon?
- How will the Columbia River Crossing project and its new bridges influence Hayden Island's future?
Carol Mayer-Reed, FASLA
Carol Mayer-Reed, FASLA, is partner-in-charge of landscape architecture and urban design at Mayer/Reed, a Portland-based firm recognized regionally and nationally for design excellence and innovative sustainable design solutions. Carol's 32 years of experience represent a wide array of public and private sector projects, ranging from waterfront and site master planning, to natural water systems, transportation corridors, bridges, urban renewal, parks and recreation, government, corporate and higher education clients.
A Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Carol has served as a board member and secretary of the Architecture Foundation of Oregon. In Portland, she serves on the South Waterfront District Design Review Committee and the EcoDistricts Task Force. Nationally, she has chaired the jury for the American Society of Landscape Architects Awards Program, and is appointed to the National AIA Sustainability Advisory Team and the General Services Administration Peer Review Board.
