SERA Architects, a Portland, Oregon-based leader in sustainable architecture and urban placemaking, has launched the Institute for Civic Ecology as an initiative supporting our commitment to helping communities and organizations nationally and internationally implement and manage resilience initiatives. Conceived in partnership with local business associations, non-profits, governments, developers, religious organizations and institutions, and spanning rural, […]

Reshaping suburbia suggests a shift toward mixed use, green buildings, complete streets, densification and transit oriented development… in other words, greener, more efficient forms of suburban “hardware.” While these strategies may lead towards greater efficiency, transformative change will require deeper intervention beyond re-forming and efficiency. Suburban areas must be re-imagined as whole communities animated by […]

To kick-off 2012, the Urban Design + Planning studio here at SERA hosted two out-of-state interns who were interested in getting a glimpse into Portland’s urban culture. As part of their time with us, each intern was asked to contribute a blog post as a reflection on their time spent in Rose City. Alexis Garcia, […]

Fall is upon us in Portland, and next week brings the highly anticipated EcoDistricts Summit. There are many fantastic speakers and presentations this year, and below you will find the events involving various SERA personalities. Come say “Hi” if you plan to attend, and spread the word…   Wednesday, October 26th 10:45 a.m. – 12:45 […]

Tim Smith, Principal and Director of Urban Design + Planning at SERA, was honored to speak at the recent TEDx event held at Portland’s Concordia University. Click below to view his presentation. In the ever-important (yet increasingly cluttered!) conversation about “sustainability,” what are the key innovations that are showing us the way forward? Are more […]

On Saturday 12 February 2011, the City of Damascus (Oregon) hosted the first of its two Civic Ecology Workshops at Damascus City Hall. The workshop was facilitated by staff from SERA Architects and CH2M HILL as part of on-going sustainability planning efforts for the City. The premise behind Civic Ecology is that attaining sustainability requires […]