Portland State University Looks To Make The City More Livable

PORTLAND, OR – Portland State University is putting their money where their mouth is. The school will spend $3 million over the next three years in an effort to help the city that they call home a more livable place.

The school is creating two centers that they say will focus "on solving some of Portland's biggest challenges – homelessness, traffic, and environmental sustainability.

The PSU Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative and the PSU Digital City Testbed Center will each receive $1,5 million over the next three years. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

"Portland State’s mission is to use our vast knowledge and expertise to serve the city by addressing its most critical issues,” PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi said. “Creating these two university research centers was a high priority for me to fulfill our mission.

"Both centers will expand upon the existing research and scholarship our renowned faculty have produced in these areas to find innovative and effective solutions for the future.”

PSU says that the homelessness center will use faculty members from different parts of the school to study ways to cut homelessness as well examine its root causes, and try to come up with a series of benchmarks that leaders can use to make informed decisions.

“Our community’s response to the housing crisis is stronger when our partners like Portland State step up and come to the table,” Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury says.

“This commitment to contribute their academic rigor and research capabilities to our efforts represent the best of our community."

Meanwhile, the Digital City testbed Center will study how technology can be used to improve safety and accessibility in Portland as well as making cities more economically viable and healthy.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says that the center "will help advance smart city innovation. Together, these investments will unite the City of Portland and the university in a collective effort to promote the success of our city and our citizens.”

The money from PSU will be considered seed money and each center will work to secure funding from government agencies as well as nonprofit groups and other sources.

“We believe that research and collaboration will be a powerful combination to address Portland’s most vexing challenges as it continues to grow,” said Mark McLellan, PSU’s Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies.

“The centers will bring together the greatest minds on campus with the considerable knowledge and expertise off campus to better tackle these issues.”

Photo of the sleeping pods built by PSU students at the Kenton Women's Village in Portland housing homeless women via PSU.