Portland currently enjoys a reputation as one of the most livable and vibrant cities in the country. At the same time the city is enjoying a significant increase in population and a commensurate level of new housing construction. This renewal is the result of four decades of the implementation of the Portland Plan of the early 70's, a vision committed to reinforcing the importance of public space and the connections they provide to the life of the city. On this tour participants will see how the focus on public space has established a very strong context and how the current focus is shifting from this context more towards the objects that populate the city as the design of the individual buildings becomes of greater importance. The tightly packed itinerary covers a diverse range of projects, including Alvar Aalto’s Mount Angel Library, recent projects by some of Portland’s best firms including, Allied Works, Skylab, ZGF and Holst Architects and we will conclude with a visit to the almost completed Japanese Pavilion by Kengo Kuma.#Fall Conferene #Portland #2016 #Committee on Design#CommitteeonDesign#Conferences#programming#Guides