Oregon Public Broadcasting

The city of Portland will advance toward a long-held vision Tuesday. Officials will open another urban park in the heart of downtown, called Director Park. April Baer reports.

Laurie Olin is the landscape architect who led the Director Park design team. He says the space presents interesting challenges, sitting atop an underground parking garage, on uneven ground.

Laurie Olin "Because you don't want your table and coffee sliding downhill benches cockeyed and all that."

The design needed enough shade for summer, and an allure in winter, too.

Laurie Olin  "Part of it was how to make it look good wet, how to make it work when lots of people came, or when there's hardly anybody there, and just a couple of people are wandering through the space."

The project was hatched when Vera Katz was mayor.

Former mayor Neil Goldschmidt and developer Tom Moyer envisioned Portland's grassy park blocks extending uninterrupted by buildings.

The scaled-back plan has gradually converted available blocks into parks.