Portland, Oregon, has plans to reshape Governor Tom McCall Waterfront park through a design competition. Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is setting out to improve the park’s amenities, access, and encourage regular visitation beyond major events.
“Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park has helped define Portland for more than 50 years,” said Mayor Keith Wilson. “This competition asks what Portland’s waterfront should look like for the next 50 years.”
The competition seeks an architect-led or landscape architect-led multidisciplinary team that will incorporate innovative technologies and amenities. The project calls for renovations across the 30 acre-park with special consideration for the “Bowl,” a large lawn and an informal gathering space.
The competition will be executed in two stages. During the first stage interested multidisciplinary teams will submit details on their project approach and past experience in response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Following this stage, three teams will be shortlisted and asked to submit a formal design proposal. Shortlisted teams are to receive $50,000 each.
Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) will act as the Competition Directors, while Portland-based social impact consultant Interplay will lead community engagement strategy.
Malcolm Reading of MRC said of the competition, “What a fascinating design challenge for ambitious and talented teams led by architects and landscape architects. The site at the epicenter of the city brims with civic and cultural promise—it’s poised for change.” MRC is one of the leading design competition consultancies, it has run more than 200 competitions worldwide since its founding in the mid-1990s.
In the city, space for the Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park was possible because parts of Harbor Drive, a major highway, were torn down. The park stretches north across the west bank of the Willamette River, ending at Portland’s Steel Bridge. The greenspace is segmented by the four bridges that pass over or abut the park. It has long been home to major gatherings, such as Portland Pride and the Waterfront Blues Festival.
The most recent initiative to perform updates to the park was through a masterplan proposed in 2003. Ahead of this latest revamp, PP&R estimates that renovating just the Bowl will require $40 million investment.
The deadline for submitting to the RFQ stage is July 30. Shortlisted teams will present concepts to the jury in early 2027, with the winning team slated to be announced in spring 2027.