MURP alumni awarded for exceptional planning project

This summer, six MURP students (now alumni) published “Nixyáawii Watikš,” a multi-use path proposal to improve transportation options, accessibility, connectivity, and safety for all users in Pendleton, Oregon and on the Umatilla Indian Reservation (UIR). Now their work has been selected by the Oregon American Planning Association (OAPA) for the Student Achievement Award.

Drive east from Portland, Oregon on I-84 and you’ll eventually reach Pendleton, a town with a population of roughly 17,000. Travel a few more miles east and you’ll find yourself in Mission Hub, an economic and cultural center of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). As of 2023, there is only one way between the Mission and Pendleton: Mission Road, a “high-traffic corridor with no existing sidewalks or pedestrian amenities.”

Transportation plans recommending a multi-use trail to connect Mission Hub and surrounding communities have been discussed for decades. While completing the MURP program, a team of six students—Owen Christofferson, Sara Goldstein, Nick Hadfield, Zhuoheng (Brian) Liu, Genevieve (Jenny) Mazzella, and Victoria Young—partnered with the CTUIR Tribal Planning Office under the name Sublime Spaces Planning Associates (SSPA) to finally develop a safe and accessible alignment for the trail. (Alignment in this case refers to the geographic route that a trail development can follow.) The resulting route is called Nixyáawii Watikš. Nixyáawii (pronounced ni-kee-YAH-way) is a historic place name of the region, and Watikš (pronounced wa-TEEKS) means “tracks” in the Umatilla language. It provides access to the nearby Umatilla River and connects the neighborhood on the opposing bank to Mission Hub. The trail could be used for horseback riding (a culturally significant activity for the CTUIR) as well as walking, cycling, and gathering of resources. Click here to hear the students talk about their project. 

The CTUIR and the SSPA wanted to make sure that the trail was built with the community in mind. Through community engagement activities, such as a mini pow wow and seniors’ lunches, the SSPA gathered feedback on what residents were expecting from the trail. The students learned that members of the CTUIR community were mainly concerned about safety, environmental conservation, and connectivity to recreation. 

By using the community’s feedback and taking the logistical hurdles into consideration, SSPA developed three different trail alignment options. They evaluated the options using a variety of factors, making sure to include both the pros and the cons of the alignment in the full report. After the evaluation, the route called Riverside Connection was found to be the most suitable for the community. Once funding is secured, the project will likely take around five years to complete.

This project came to fruition due to the MURP workshop, a nine-credit course required as part of the MURP program. Four to six students form a group that develops and implements a planning project that is delivered to a client in the community. For a project to be accepted, students must write a proposal to the workshop instructors that meet certain criteria.

The OAPA provides resources and opportunities for professional planners and strives to create more inclusive, just, and equitable communities for all of Oregon. Its awards committee felt that this project was an excellent example of engagement with a tribal community that created an excellent product for the citizens.