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The Planning Office at Portland State University leads placemaking initiatives, manage GIS mapping, and establish the standards that guide how people move, study, and gather across our urban campus.

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Placemaking

Placemaking is a collaborative, community-driven process that brings people together to shape campus spaces through projects and programming. The Planning Office is actively working on placemaking projects to vitalize our campus, and you can get involved!

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History of Campus Planning at PSU

Portland State has an extensive history of planning efforts dating back to the 1950’s when we first moved to the beloved South Park Blocks. This ArcGIS Story Map provides a decade by decade overview of PSU’s development into what we know it as today. Follow along with historical quotes, pictures, maps, and architectural renderings and discover the role urban planning has played in shaping our campus.

Explore the story map

historic black and white map of portland state college campus

PLANS

PSU’s Long Range Plans are intended to guide the long-term development of campus in the areas of open space, student housing, climate action, stormwater management, and economic development while providing a view at PSU’s future development priorities. The plans seek to steer PSU in an economically and environmentally sustainable pathway; while also creating an equitable and inclusive campus where our students, faculty, and staff want to stay, show up, and belong.

Future campus development provides PSU with the opportunity to eliminate deferred maintenance, increase efficiency, improve sustainability, align academic programs, and create a physical campus environment that is reflective of our student body, past, present, and future. PSU’s plans are in complement to the City of Portland and Multnomah County’s long range urban plans, policies, and requirements.

Storm water management plan

First created in 2005, this plan establishes green infrastructure as the primary method for PSU stormwater management, aiming for full onsite capture by 2105. The 2026 update adds historical context, existing conditions, and a clear implementation strategy to enhance the university’s overall environmental sustainability.

Housing master plan

A detailed student housing demand analysis was performed during 2018. In partnership with consulting firms, PSU developed a plan to answer: What is the on-campus housing demand from students at PSU? What are the appropriate unit types and target market for new housing and how does the campus address maintenance concerns and costs?

OPEN SPACE plan

This plan visions open spaces as valuable campus assets with multi-faceted benefits and functions that respond to a variety of campus needs. It aims to characterize and define open space types, guide the integration of open space into development decisions, highlight opportunities for improvement, and advocate for preservation.

University District Framework Plan

The 2010 plan outlines a vision for PSU as a key driver of Portland’s economy and urban EcoDistrict development. It introduces a model for campus-city integration where boundaries between public and private spaces blur. This transparency creates an environment making academic and social life of the University visible to people.

Standards

PSU’s standards are designed to enhance the on-campus experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors while supporting the University’s goals for sustainability, safety, efficiency, flexibility, and equity. They are guided by the following principles:

- Reflect long-term investments in physical resources and systems to maximize their useful life

- Advance PSU’s leadership in sustainability by promoting health, wellbeing, and environmental responsibility

- Support learning outcomes and student success by aligning campus design with educational and research needs

- Foster equity and inclusion through universal design, transparency, and clear processes

- Encourage flexibility and adaptability to respond to evolving pedagogy and changing student demographics

The following standards have been developed to support these principles and guide the planning, design, and maintenance of PSU’s built environment

picture of office cubicle with window, two computers, two desk chairs and plants

OFFICE STANDARDS

PSU established consistent guidelines for campus office use. Developed by the Planning Office and the Capital Advisory Committee, this framework ensures that workspace is allocated in a fair, efficient, and flexible manner. The standards promote sustainability and productivity while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

OFFICE FURNITURE STANDARDS

These standards provide a safe, ergonomic work environment for the PSU community. By emphasizing flexibility and durability, the framework enables furniture reuse and consistent design across campus. This approach streamlines procurement and supports university goals regarding inclusion, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.

picture of a yellow banner sign on a lamp post that reads Portland State university

SIGNANGE AND WAYFINDING STANDARDS

These standards ensure clear, accessible communication across PSU’s urban campus. Created by PSO, the guidelines govern the design and placement of all signage. They strengthen university identity and promote inclusivity through universal access. This framework creates a navigable environment reflecting total commitment to equity.

Technical design standards

The Technical Design Standards communicate PSU’s design preferences and recommendations to consultants and contractors working on campus projects. They reflect input from key campus stakeholders, including those managing daily operations and leaders shaping PSU’s long-term vision, and incorporate best practices in design and construction. PSO is proud to support the continued evolution of PSU’s campus while preserving what makes it unique and share these standards to guide and inform future design efforts.

All user restroom standards

The purpose of these standards is to guide the implementation of all-user restroom facilities in all PSU owned and operated buildings. It addresses issues associated with user-specific restrooms, including the challenges faced by individuals who don't conform to stereotypical notions of gender or parents and caregivers with children of a different gender. It requires all new construction and major renovations to include at least one all-user restroom, prioritizing multi-stall configurations in buildings with higher occupancy.

Maps

The Planning and Sustainability Office utilizes advanced Geographic Information Systems to maintain a digital representation of the urban campus. They integrate architectural CAD files with on-site field surveys to map everything from building floor plans to specific vegetated areas. These efforts result in interactive public wayfinding tools and specialized thematic maps that track the university's sustainability and EcoDistrict goals. To ensure transparency, the office maintains an Open Data portal where students and the public can download geographic datasets in various digital formats. This collaborative approach to mapping fosters institutional clarity while supporting research, accessibility, and informed urban development.

Gis maps & OPEN data

The Planning Office creates and maintains a large number of GIS maps, stories maps, and databases that help our campus facilities and scholars understand our campus and its features.

See Map & Data

Contact Planning

Send us an email planpsu@pdx.edu
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