City of Portland, OregonThe official centers boundaries. Document: https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/comp-plan/documents/urban-design-direction/download Part of the preferred growth scenario, CENTERS provide the primary areas for growth and change in Portland over the next 25 years. They are compact urban places that anchor complete neighborhoods, featuring retail stores and businesses (grocery stores, restaurants, markets, shops, etc.), civic amenities (libraries, schools, community centers, churches, temples, etc.) housing options, health clinics, employment centers and parks or other public gathering places. Centers transition in scale to surrounding lower density neighborhoods using "middle housing" building types - rowhouses, duplexes, triplexes, etc. - at their edges. Targeting new growth in centers and the inner ring districts helps achieve goals of having more Portlanders live in complete neighborhoods, use more mass transit and active transportation, reduce their energy use and mitigate climate change. CENTRAL CITY: The Central City is the region's premier center with jobs, services, and civic and cultural institutions that support the entire city and region. It includes major attractions, amenities and institutions not found anywhere else in the region, such as Portland State University, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, the Oregon Convention Center, the Portland Art Museum and the region's Transit Mall. GATEWAY REGIONAL CENTER: Gateway Regional Center is East Portland's major center, providing the area and region with civic, employment and community services. It includes the City's second largest transit hub outside of downtown and good freeway access to regional destinations, such as Portland International Airport. TOWN CENTERS: Town Centers, such as Hollywood or St. Johns, serve broad areas of the City. They are typically anchored by employment centers or institutions and feature a wide range of commercial and community services and have a wide range of housing options. NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS: Neighborhood Centers are smaller centers - frequently areas of focused activities along streets - that include a mixture of higher density commercial and residential buildings. Because these centers are smaller, there are many more of these citywide, meaning that many Portlanders are likely to live close to a neighborhood center. -- Additional Information: Category: Planning Purpose: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/497442 Update Frequency: As Needed -- Metadata Link: https://www.portlandmaps.com/metadata/index.cfm?&action=DisplayLayer&LayerID=54582ArcGIS DynamicMapLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/5b300ce0f57143aab56d50c5ea62b8ba_1287engPortlandMaps Open DataPublicCenters (Regional, Town and Neighborhood) [Oregon--Portland]Web servicesOregon--PortlandOregonLast Modified: 2025-05-31