Leveraging Eugene’s History of Running and Innovation to Revitalize Downtown
City: Eugene, Oregon
Reporting to: The City of Eugene’s Urban Designer
The Challenge
Eugene has some stories to tell. Nike, the shoe company, was started in Eugene by University of Oregon track coach, Bill Bowerman, and one of the athletes he coached, Steve Prefontaine. It started as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 before expanding into a global powerhouse and moving up the road to Beaverton. The Nike narrative intertwines with another thing many people don’t know about Eugene: the city’s role as a global center of track and field. Eugene has hosted international track events, including the World Athletics Championships and the Wanda Diamond League Pre Classic. The U.S. Olympic Trials have been held in Eugene for years, earning the city the nickname “Tracktown USA.”
Eugene city leaders think they have not leveraged these stories of sporting glory and business innovation to benefit their city’s image. They hope to find new ways to package these narratives to attract visitors to downtown Eugene and engage them while there. Mayor Kaarin Knudson is keen to build a sense of place and revitalize downtown with more housing and tourism, but real and perceived issues have contributed to a negative narrative for many in the community. City leaders hope that telling Eugene’s story of downtown’s connections to track-and-field history and innovation will increase the area’s image and help draw visitors, investment, and new residents.
Key questions include:
- How can the city capture its stories and histories related to running?
- How might the city make the story of running more experiential and tangible for residents and tourists?
- How can the city leverage its unique stories to enhance its downtown revitalization efforts?
What You’ll Do
The fellow will lay the groundwork for future efforts to draw and engage visitors to downtown Eugene using the city’s history of track and field. This will involve assessing existing documentation around stories related to running and the city’s placemaking efforts to date, and recommending new opportunities for marketing, creating visitor experiences, and building cultural identity. Stakeholders to collaborate with include Nike, the leaders of TrackTown USA (the key organization hosting track events), the University of Oregon, Travel Lane County, Downtown Eugene Merchants, the Eugene Chamber of Commerce, and Eugene’s avid local running community.
Key deliverables include:
- A pitch deck outlining a vision for leveraging Eugene’s history of running, key narratives within that history, and opportunities for engaging visitors around them.
- A report and high-level implementation plan, identifying quick wins and longer-term efforts.
- Analog and digital maps (including web-based and mobile) showing locations associated with key moments and places in Eugene’s running history and opportunities to make these moments tangible for current residents and visitors.
What You’ll Bring
The fellow will be expected to possess the following skills:
- Qualitative Interviewing and Analysis
- Design Thinking
- Marketing
- Strategic Planning
- Project Management
- Research and Writing
- Stakeholder Management
- Project Visualization/Visual Communication
