Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) has announced the three design teams shortlisted for the second stage of the open design competition to reimagine Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The shortlisted teams are:

• BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group (US) with Jennifer Bonner / MALL (US);
• Studio Egret West (UK) with West of West (US);
• SWA Group (US) with PLACE (US) and Thomas Phifer and Partners (US)

Each team is led by an architect or landscape architect and includes a local studio. The first stage attracted 50 submissions from over 150 firms across six continents, with no design work required; teams were assessed on experience, skills, project approach and composition, including an Oregon-registered Architect/Landscape Architect.

The teams will now develop concept designs for the 30-acre park, focusing on the Bowl area. Their brief covers enhanced river access, ecological restoration and inclusive design, creating a destination that reflects Portland’s culture and landscape while supporting downtown revitalisation. Teams must enhance beloved spaces such as the Japanese American Historical Plaza, mature cherry trees and Salmon Street Springs Fountain, while transforming underused areas.

The jury is co-chaired by Professor Maurice Cox (Harvard GSD) and Carol Coletta (Johns Hopkins University), alongside community stakeholders and independent experts. Cox says: “The breadth and quality of design teams who responded to the competition’s call to create the next great American riverfront park gives ample evidence to Portland’s international significance.

“The three shortlisted teams have all been inspired by the city’s legacy of exceptional urban landscapes, by Lawrence Halprin to Peter Walker. With their unique combination of international, national and local talent, they have the skills to listen, interpret, innovate and present to Portland an image of itself as a twenty-first-century city, able to embrace its river to transform its urban core.”

PP&R will host a public event on 23 September 2026 to introduce the teams, attended by Mayor Keith Wilson and Interim Director Art Pearce. A public exhibition of concepts will follow in early 2027, with community comment invited, and the winner announced in Spring 2027. Each shortlisted team receives a $50k competition fee. The Bowl redevelopment carries an estimated capital budget of circa $40m.