Submit your dream Portland street idea to Better Block PSU

That bike lane your ride on today? It started out as a demo by Better Block 2014. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

If you’re the type to sketch out your dream street design for your neighborhood in your head every time you walk or bike around, now may be the time to see your idea come to fruition.

Better Block PSU, a partnership program between tactical urbanist group Better Block PDX and Portland State University, is accepting proposals for projects that “promote equitable placemaking, community building, and active transportation advocacy.” If your idea is selected, you’ll work alongside PSU planning and engineering students to materialize the plan.

Better Block PSU says the project is a shift from the status quo with a ground-up approach, and increases capacity for community organizations to influence policy that can lead to permanent changes in Portland’s streetscape.”

Examples of potential Better Block projects. (Click to enlarge)

This is an opportunity for students at PSU’s Transportation Research and Education Center to get hands-on experience with project design and implementation – and an opportunity for community members to have a real impact on what Portland’s streets look like.

Former PSU student and Better Block volunteer Gwen Shaw hugs former PBOT Commissioner Steve Novick in 2016.

Some examples of potential projects include community events and street markets, pedestrian plazas, crosswalks and improved bicycle facilities. These are pop-up projects, so they’re low risk, but the goal is to show the community what making streets more people-focused could look like. Check out projects that have gone through this program in the past here.

Some projects that have gone through this program in the past, like the Better Naito Forever project, have become permanent, critical pieces of Portland’s active transportation infrastructure.

The deadline for applications is next Monday, March 14 at 8:00 pm. Learn more on the Better Block PSU website and see the full request for proposals here. And get planning!

Taylor has been a BikePortland’s staff writer since November 2021. She has also written for Street Roots and Eugene Weekly. Contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.