Winner of the 2011 Neighborhood of the Year Award
The South University Neighborhood Association (SUNA) was nominated for being very responsive to their neighbors concerns in a number of ways. They were instrumental in organizing a Livability Summit, a forum to discuss impacts from undesirable behaviors associated with binge drinking and partying by students and other young people that gather in the area. This effort provided an impetus to form the Neighborhood Livability Working Group, comprised of City representatives from Neighborhood Services and Police, the University of Oregon, UO students, and neighborhood and property owner / manager representatives who were tasked with identifying strategies to address this persistent and challenging problem.
Collaboration to Increase Effectiveness
SUNA has combined initiative with a willingness to collaborate to enhance their effectiveness. Examples include:
- Coordinating with the City’s Parking Services program to extend two hour parking limits throughout the neighborhood
- Educating and organizing neighbors to respond consistently when alcohol and noise violations occur and coordinating with EPD to increase participation of absentee rental property owners in the City’s Rental Property Program
- Securing a Neighborhood Matching Grant to study bike and pedestrian traffic patterns at the interface of the neighborhood and the university
- Testifying before state legislators in an effort to grant UO Department of Public Safety (DPS) full police powers
Boundaries of the Neighborhood
South University Neighborhood Association is bounded by the east by Patterson Street on the west, the west side of Agate Street on the east, the north side of East 24th Avenue on the south, and the south side of East 18th Avenue on the north.