Lents is a neighborhood in outer Southeast Portland, located within the Johnson Creek watershed. It was founded by the Lents family, who farmed the region in the mid-19th century. In the 1980s the I-205 freeway was built along SE 95th Ave, cutting directly through the center of the neighborhood and transforming the once quiet residential neighborhood into a busy transportation corridor. Currently, Lents is a rapidly developing single-family residential neighborhood and designated Urban Renewal Area. The neighborhood has recently become more racially and ethnically diverse, and is home to many recent immigrant populations.

Mobilizing Community





The Heart of Lents: The Lents Green Ring

Making Space for Nature: The pollinator habitat program
The Pollinator Habitat program promotes environmental health through stewardship of pollinator habitat enhancement sites in Lents. Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, and most importantly, bees are pollinators. Most plants (including fruit trees and food crops) need pollinators to help them with their reproductive process. However, many pollinator populations, including native bee species, are on the decline. Planting gardens and swales that attract and sustain a diverse variety of pollinators helps to support a healthy ecosystem.
Several habitats with native flowering plants and native bee nesting resources were established with different groups of stakeholders in partnership with Green Lents from 2012-2016. Below are the before and after photos from the Beyer Court Rain Garden project, a partnership between Green Lents, Rose CDC, and Depave, where community members came together to depave a parking lot and plant pollinator friendly native plants.



From Space to place


Sharing the Wealth: The Community Tool Library




the future of lents


The Lents Strong plan is a grassroots vision for a livable Lents intended to guide the next stages of urban renewal development in Lents. It was developed in partnership with Green Lents and Livable Lents. Building on feedback from over 1,400 residents in six languages, Lents Strong provides a framework for collective action. Through partnerships between community organizations, government agencies, and businesses, Lents Strong seeks to improve livability, preserve affordability, and foster community control in Lents.

Special thanks to:
Green Lents
Livable Lents
"Lents Strong"
Image Credits:
Green Lents
Twelvizm via Home Sweet Home Reality
Ben VanderWeide
Portland Parks Foundation
Geospatial and Demographic Data Credits:
Portland Metro's RLIS
US Census Bureau