Vance Property

The 90-acre Vance Property, one of the largest undeveloped parcels in East Multnomah County, is looking to the future for new uses. Multnomah County still plans on some of the land being used as a park — the parcel now is home to Vance Park, a gravel pit quarry, plus buildings and yards used by Multnomah County’s transportation division.

Some land will still need to be used for transportation crews and other agencies, but the county wants the rest of the property to be used in a way that benefits the community.

A work team and a planning consultant have reached out to community groups to get ideas on how to best use the land. To share your ideas or questions, click here.

Climate Change Articles and Resources

The Heat Is On

Urban heat islands and red lining

Killer Heat in the United States

Energy use and air conditioners

Heat-related illnesses and ethnic groups

Racism in the Great Outdoors

Carolyn Finney's op ed in The Guardian

Soul River

Outdoor Afro

Room to Roam

COVID-19 taught us a lot about the importance of parks and green space. Read the link above for more insights.

Parks and the Pandemic

The global pandemic sparked by COVID-19 strained communities in ways that allowed people to rediscover the importance of parks and greenspace while also placing enormous strains on these resources.

The Benefits of Parks: Why America Needs More City Parks and Open Space

Key reasons — health, boosting local economies, improving the environment and helping battle climate — are detailed and analyzed in this white paper published by The Trust for Public Land.

Top Trends in Parks and Recreation

Changing times — think insta-worthy selfie spots — along with the pandemic, have sparked new developments in Parks and Recreation.

The Economic Impact of Parks

From providing 1,125,640 million jobs to sparking $166.4 billion — yes, billion — in economic activity, parks provide a huge financial boost and allows our communities to prosper.

Travel Oregon

For the latest updates on our state’s $12.3 billion travel and tourism industry, Travel Oregon is a great resource.

Parks and Public Health

Connecting with nature or connecting with a space to work off calories, parks do it all.

Parks and Health: Aligning Incentives to Create Innovations in Chronic Disease PreventionParks and Health: Aligning Incentives to Create Innovations in Chronic Disease Prevention

This article details how parks help prevent chronic diseases, which are on the rise in the United States and elsewhere.

10 Minute Walk

This organization is working with mayors across the nation to reach a goal of providing safe access to quality parks or greenspace within a 10-minute walk from home by 2050.

A wide range of CDC resources

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has links to information on topics including parks, trails, health tools, physical activity, public health, green infrastructure, plus national parks and recreation organizations.

Parks Rock!

They are beautiful, feed our souls, strengthen our bodies, create community and improve the environment. Parks are amazing!

Funding Recreation Projects Report

For some pretty amazing insights into how to successfully fund park recreation projects, check out this presentation by Rocky Houston with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

Berkeley California's Kick the Can Campaign

Learn about the model consumption tax recently passed to support nutrition, physical activity in schools as well as other health and disease prevention efforts.