A global movement is underway in neighborhoods across Portland. Paved lots are being renatured into urban farms, natural playscapes, tree-lined streets, and wildlife habitats. Major urban centers in the UK, France, Australia, and Ontario have also caught onto the movement, as the BBC recently reported. Leading the charge locally is a nonprofit called Depave.
From hot impervious pavement to shady green sanctuaries and playscapes
Depave’s next PCEF-funded event will be held at Morning Star Baptist Church in NE Portland on June 22. Volunteers will remove 10,000 square feet of pavement to make way for a nature play area for Los Pequeñitos, a Spanish language immersion school located in the church that provides affordable childcare to families in need.
Morning Star Baptist Church is one of Cully’s most prominent African American institutions. It has served the community for 77 years. Depave and PCEF will have removed a total of 20,000 square feet of pavement at the church when they complete the second phase of the project later this month. Depave and PCEF worked together last summer on the first phase of the project, transforming the initial 10,000 square feet of pavement into sanctuary spaces for older church members and a community food garden stewarded by Mudbone Grown, a Black-owned organization in Portland that promotes intergenerational community-based farming.
Accelerating Depave’s essential work
PCEF has awarded Depave nearly $540,000 to complete projects like Morning Star Baptist Church. The funding has allowed Depave to remove more than 38,500 square feet of pavement across six sites in the Portland-Metro area. That’s the same area as eight NBA basketball courts. Projects in addition to Morning Star include:
- Oliver Middle School in Gresham (3900 square feet)
- Whitman Elementary School in southeast Portland (3,000 square feet)
- Patrick Lynch Elementary in outer southeast Portland (7,000 square feet)
- Powell Butte Elementary in Centennial (7,400 square feet)
- Peninsula Elementary School in North Portland (4,254 square feet)
Depave volunteers have removed more than 360,000 square feet of pavement in Portland since it was founded in 2008. That’s the same area as the total retail floor at Pioneer Place. Their efforts have diverted approximately 24.5 million gallons of rainwater from storm drains each year: That’s 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Depave has also planted over 1600 trees, shrubs, and other native plants in 2023.
Depave project sites are selected using an equity matrix to prioritize under-resourced, frontline communities experiencing concentrations of urban heat and lack of greenspace due to historical context of racialized zoning codes and land use.
The problem with pavement is two-fold
An overabundance of pavement radiates heat in the summer and creates stormwater runoff issues in rainy months. Neighborhoods with less green space can get up to 20 F hotter than those with more tree cover due to what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls the urban heat island effect.
At the same time, atmospheric rivers, like those experienced in Portland, are increasing in frequency and intensity due to the impacts of climate change, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research. Neighborhoods with more pavement cannot absorb extreme rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding, untreated sewage, and toxic urban pollutants flowing into local waterways and riparian habitats.
NASA Earth: Depave is making an observable and quantifiable impact
Depave’s impact on urban heat in Portland is observable and quantifiable, according to NASA’s remote-sensing data and tools. NASA measured decreases of up to 7.7 F in reflected heat across six sites that received Depave’s urban greening treatments. As these greenspaces grow out and mature, NASA hypothesized that the cooling effects of vegetation will increase.
As the hot summer months approach, the urgency of Depave’s mission grows. PCEF is proud to support Depave as it reclaims and restores Portland’s natural environment. Together, PCEF and Depave are showing how a public-private partnership can successfully combat the urban heat island effect, reduce stormwater runoff, and enhance community resilience and sustainability.