Promoting sustainable growth
“At its heart, the work of LandWatch’s Cities & Towns Program is all about creating healthy and just communities where people and nature thrive.”
A kayaker paddles up the Deschutes River in downtown Bend, Oregon
Have you ever noticed that, in Oregon, you can immediately tell when you’ve left the city and are in the country?
You can picture the edge of town. It’s that invisible boundary where the forest begins, the sagebrush surfaces, or the landscape transforms into rolling farmland. Having nature nearby is one of the very best things about living here. Oregon’s unique land use system is the reason our cities and towns feel worlds away from other sprawling municipalities around the country.
Established in the 1970s, Oregon’s land use system provides the pillars on which our quality of life is built. It guides where we work, live, and play, and how we get around. This land use system intends to channel growth and development within city limits and prevent sprawl into our wild places and farm lands. For nearly 50 years, it has been the powerful, unsung hero that sets Oregon apart. That is why it remains at the center of LandWatch’s work. As we respond to the climate crisis, land use planning is critical to creating a more healthy and hopeful future for the people, fish, and wildlife that call this place home.
So when once-in-a-lifetime changes to this land use system are afoot that hold the power to transform our communities and tackle climate change head-on, it is a pivotal time to dig deep, show up, and meet the moment. That is exactly what LandWatch is doing.
A stakeholder group maps out a community vision for the Bend Central District: Brianna Bender
At the direction of Governor Kate Brown, Oregon’s Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) is in the midst of a Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities rulemaking process. The goal is “to transform Oregon’s communities to be safe, equitable, sociable, and pleasant places where driving is not required, and the amount of driving is reduced.” These rules would designate climate-friendly areas in our cities, then direct growth to those areas, while providing abundant, high-quality infrastructure for biking, walking, and transit.
Throughout 2021, LandWatch has engaged in this process to ensure these rules are urgently adopted and create meaningful, actionable, and enforceable policies. We know the time for tangible action on climate change is now. To do that, we’re bringing the power of informed, engaged, and energized Central Oregonians to bear on this process.
By galvanizing local communities and alerting them to key public input opportunities, we’re making sure the voices of people who live and work here are heard. We’re diving deep into our land use expertise to submit technical comments and testimony to guide the process. And, we’re collaborating with local and state elected officials, city staff, advocates, and other conservation and transportation organizations to ensure transformative outcomes that profoundly alter how our cities are built and how state transportation dollars get spent. If these rules are thoughtfully crafted and implemented soon, we’ll see more complete communities in Bend and throughout Central Oregon, with access to vital services nearby and plenty of safe options for getting around that won’t require a car.
As we find ourselves on the verge of a new year, we know concerns over how we grow are on everyone’s mind. So, whether you share our urgency in tackling climate change, see the need for more affordable housing options and more car-free ways to get around, or want to keep nature in our neighborhoods, LandWatch is moving these efforts forward in Bend, Sisters, and beyond. Central Oregon’s cities and towns need vibrant and healthy neighborhoods accessible to all, and we will continue working every day to make that possibility a reality.
This article was originally published in our semi-annual print newsletter.
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Amid the pressures of rapid growth and a changing climate, LandWatch continues to make sure Central Oregon’s cities and towns have resilient, safe, and vibrant neighborhoods accessible to all.