Bob Hastings has spent his career working with others to create livable communities, vibrant downtowns, and main streets through public and private partnerships.
For more than a decade, Hastings has been the Director of Oregon|By Design, an independent initiative to support communities seeking to foster economic, environmental and social development.
Dedicated to civic involvement, Hastings is a board member of the Halprin Landscape Conservancy and the Willamette Light Brigade/Portland Winter Light Festival. He is also volunteer advisor to Metro's Transit Oriented Development Program and a volunteer member of Multnomah County's Burnside Bridge Coummunity Design Advisory Group. Hastings is also a strategic advisor in the public infrastructure, transportation and built environment practice area of Amico PR.
In 2021, he retired from TriMet, where he had managed the agency’s Transit-Oriented Development and other initiatives. Acting as the agency’s “imagineer,” he led the effort to leverage transit investment in the Portland metropolitan region to shape livable communities. This included overseeing the agency’s station area planning, Smart City initiatives, and architectural and urban design for all the MAX Light Rail alignments, and affordable housing. He also championed the agency’s sustainability initiatives and renewable energy program. Perhaps his favorite project was the Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, that carries light rail trains, buses, streetcars, cyclists and pedestrians over the Willamette River in Portland. Refurbishment of the Downtown Portland Transit Mall was a career highlight as well, bringing together businesses, the transit agency, and the public in a modern, mutually beneficial way.
Prior to TriMet, Hastings worked for ZGF Architects, where he worked on many projects, including:
Bob is a Fellow in the Architecture Institute of Architects for his work and contributions to society.
He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvia and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon.
Hastings fell in love with Oregon and became a resident in 1973.