How We Help

UrbanLens Planning, LLC provides strategic and creative solutions for land use planning and permitting, project management and urban mobility.  The firm’s principal, Robin Scholetzky, has been a practicing urban planner in Portland, Oregon for over 20 years, providing responsive and experienced land use planning services to public and private sector clients in the Pacific Northwest. We apply experience and tenacity to successfully navigate the permitting process, enabling you to focus on the ongoing success of your project. UrbanLens Planning is a State of Oregon ESB/WBE and DBE certified business, #9794.

Land Acknowledgement

It is important for me as a professional in the urban planning field to provide this working Land Acknowledgement statement and reflect that I am a guest on traditional unceded lands.

UrbanLens Planning provides professional planning services throughout Oregon and I recognize and honor the Indigenous peoples whose traditional and ancestral homelands this includes, including the Clackamas, Kalapuya, Kathlamet, Multnomah, Nestucca, Siletz, Tillamook and many other indigenous nations of Oregon. I honor the legacy and the descendants of these communities. I am here as a result of immense sacrifices forced upon these people and their ancestors as a result of colonization. I acknowledge the magnitude of colonialization on these cultures, their people and the relationship with the land itself. I will work to promote these difficult truths into regular and active public discourse that centers those affected first and foremost. I will work to take additional concrete actions toward a pathway forward that provides opportunities for land transfer including:

• Devoting class time to these issues as part of teaching Land Use and Implementation at Portland State University;

• As the Oregon APA Ethical Education Officer, creating opportunities for conversations to reflect colonization as part of our professional ethical framework; and

• Considerations for inclusion in Oregon’s Statewide land use goals as opportunities to heal relationships with the land itself.

I recognize that this is a first step in the process and that this is only the beginning in creating long lasting change in my profession and our relationship with all members of the community in Oregon.

** Learning resources: For those of you interested in creating a statement, here is a list of resources which I found helpful:

1. The Oregon APA Chapter (OAPA) discussion on Anti-racist Planning Practice: An Indigenous Perspective, on 12/16/20. If you missed it, OAPA will be making the webinar recording available for purchase soon via the website.

2. For learning about who’s land you are on: https://thislandistand.app and https://native-land.ca

3. The Native Governance Center, found here https://nativegov.org as a resource for writing an Acknowledgement Statement. 

Company Practices

“Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming.” Alice Walker

The company practices for UrbanLens Planning, LLC are our commitment to the present and the future.

Community

As an urban planning/professional services firm, UrbanLens Planning is committed to civic engagement that fosters the well-being of our community.  We have provided and continue to provide, volunteer and pro-bono services to several local non-profit organizations, including  Know Your City. We are an active member of Business for a Better Portland as well as the Oregon chapter of the American Planning Association and the Planning and Women Division. We participate in the activities of the Sustainability Communities Division of the American Planning Association.  UrbanLens Planning, LLC illustrates its respect for the community, clients and our stakeholders and strives to provide thoughtful and meaningful deliverables.

Environment

UrbanLens Planning has committed to being a good steward for the environment.  We source sustainable office products: from  fair-trade coffee to recycled content products. We place a priority on collaborating with local, women-owned, sustainably-minded businesses  for our suppliers and professional partners.  Electricity for our office is powered by 100% renewable power through GreenPower Oregon and we share open space that is Certified Backyard Bird Habitat since 2015. We use alternative transportation as often as possible for connecting with clients and the community.  

Clients and Project Partners

We collaborate with some of the sharpest in the industry: 

Jurisdictions and Non Profits 

City of Astoria Community Development Department, City of Beaverton Facilities Department, Clean Water Services, Columbia River Estuary StudyTask Force (CREST), Hacienda Community Development Corporation, City of Hillsboro, Metro Regional Government, Multnomah County, Northwest Housing Alternatives, Oregon Parks and Recreation, City of Portland Parks and Recreation Department, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland State University, REACH Community Development, City of Tillamook, City of Wood Village, Yamhill County.

Designers and Builders

7 Directions Architects, Ankrom Moisan Architects, BRIC Architecture, Bridgetown Design, Bora Architecture and Interiors, Communitecture, DMTA Architecture, Dominek Architecture, Gorman & Co, Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, Hooker JeJong, InkBuilt, Knot Studio, Mayer|Reed, Medium Landscape Design, MWA Architects, Rembold Development, Simon Investments, Strongwork Architecture, Studio Cropp Architecture, Summit Engineering;, UrbanForm, Urban Development + Partners, Wallis Engineering.

Allied Professionals

Brightside Engagement, Cascade GIS + Consulting, Communitas Planning,  Inhabit Real Estate, Jacobs, KPFF; Lark + Fir Realt, Leland Consulting Group, Medium Landscape Architecture, Nelson |Nygaard, Parametrix, PDX Urban Real Estate.

Accolades

We love what we do and it shows in our work: