Act Local for Climate and Community
Rapid growth presents us with a challenge and an opportunity: to grow well and with intention so that our communities are more vibrant, affordable, inclusive, and climate-resilient.
Climate change. Woof.
We all recognize that it’s a serious threat to Central Oregon and the planet, and it can feel overwhelming. But at LandWatch, we believe there’s a way to channel that anxiety into meaningful action. By confronting our biggest challenges together, we can chart a path forward towards a better, more resilient future.
So let’s take a look at what we can do to act locally for our climate and community.
Today’s biggest contributors to climate change are tied to our built environment. Over a third of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. Where we live, work, and play — and how we travel to and from those places — determines much of our climate impact as a region.
We also know that Central Oregon is growing rapidly. Our communities have become more expensive and exclusive, which means many residents — long-time Bendites as well as new community members — cannot afford to build a life here. With the rising cost of living and high housing prices, calling Central Oregon home is out of reach for more and more people.
This presents us with both a challenge and an opportunity: to grow well and with intention so that our communities are more vibrant, affordable, inclusive, and climate-resilient. To do this, Central Oregon LandWatch’s Cities & Towns Program is focused on delivering Complete Communities to Bend and Central Oregon.
Complete Communities are the building blocks of livable cities and towns.
Functionally, they direct growth in ways that preserve livability and quality of life, tackle climate change by reducing emissions, and ensure all people have the opportunity to thrive here in Central Oregon while we protect the environment around us. How do these places achieve these incredible outcomes? Complete Communities are by design — they are created and built in ways that integrate four key elements.
Complete communities have:
Housing options for people in all stages of life and at all income levels.
They keep nature nearby and in our neighborhoods, which supports people and the planet.
They have convenient, safe ways to get around that don’t always require a car — they’re walkable, bikeable and rollable.
And they are mixed-use so the services and essentials you need are close to where you live.
When we combine these core elements, we create vibrant neighborhoods that are amazing places to live, work, and play at all stages of life. Amongst other things, they are:
Interconnected & vibrant. More mixed-use areas mean schools, shops, and restaurants are close to home. More housing options mean more people are a part of our community. And this all creates thriving neighborhoods where people want to be and want to stay.
Smart & cost effective. By directing growth in ways that improve the existing fabric of our cities, Complete Communities help us use land more efficiently within our city limits. This limits costly sprawl and helps protect our surrounding farmlands and wild places. Complete Communities make the most of what we have by improving and using existing infrastructure like water systems, power lines, transit, roads, and bike lanes.
More equitable. With housing options for all lifestyles, household sizes, and income levels, people have more choices in where they live, and have more secure housing. Better transit, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure helps people that cannot drive, or cannot afford a car, get to where they need to go— cheaply and efficiently. Having nature nearby ensures that people that cannot afford a house with a yard still have access to quality public outdoor spaces that are close to home. And mixed-use neighborhoods have those everyday needs— daycares, grocery stores, community centers, and healthcare clinics— closer to home, and easier to access.
And, of course, they’re climate-friendly. When communities are thoughtfully and compactly designed, people spend less time in cars and nature remains nearby. That leads to better local water and air quality and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Guiding smart growth within Central Oregon’s cities and towns is an important strategy for mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change. Luckily, Oregon’s visionary land use planning system gives us the tools to do exactly that while simultaneously creating communities that are climate-resilient and offer an outstanding quality of life.
This fall, Central Oregon LandWatch’s Livable Future Forum is serving as a place for discussion and dialogue about the defining issues of our time. We’re talking about urban solutions that we can put into place locally that will shape a more equitable and climate-resilient future for Central Oregon.
Our final Livable Future Forum event, Act Local, will take place on November 13 from 7:00 — 9:00 PM at Open Space Event Studios in the Bend Central District, the vibrant heart of our growing city. We’re excited to bring you a robust conversation with some of Bend’s finest local community leaders working to deliver solutions to the region’s housing challenges, meet climate goals, and create a more inclusive community.
LandWatch’s Cities & Towns Program Director Corie Harlan will moderate the discussion. Since 2021, Corie has led LandWatch’s comprehensive strategy for guiding Central Oregon’s sustainable growth at the local, regional, and state levels with enthusiasm and aptitude.
Meet the Panelists!
A Bend City Councilor since 2020, Anthony Broadman served as Mayor Pro Tem in 2022. He serves as an attorney for Tribal governments and small businesses and is also the Chief Judge of the Warm Springs Court of Appeals. Anthony has served Tribal housing authorities and regulatory agencies and works regularly to resolve conflicts with the federal government, and local and state governments. He serves on the Deschutes County Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, on the Board of EDCO, as Board President of the Horner Cycling Foundation, as ex officio member of the Downtown Bend Business Association Board of Directors, and as member of the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Steering Committee. He has served as chairman of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council and the Oregon State Bar Indian Law Section, as well as on the Grace First Lutheran Church Council. He is an avid cyclist, skier, and hunter and the father of three daughters in Bend public schools.
Kathya Avila Choquez is the Latino Outreach Specialist and serves on the DEI committee at Bend Parks and Recreation District. She has a Bachelor's degree in Interpretation and Translation and almost 15 years of experience in translating for nonprofits, private and governmental agencies. Last year, she presented Conexiones: How to Build Trust and Empower Your Community at the Oregon Recreation and Parks Conference as well as the National Recreation and Parks Conference. She is currently involved with the Bear Creek PTO Board, Camp Tamarack Board, and Nature Connect of Central Oregon Board. Kathya is dedicated to fostering inclusive Latine community engagement.
Karl Dinkelspiel is the Deputy Director of RootedHomes. Karl is also the owner and principal of Four Spokes Consulting. He previously served as a Development Manager at Prosper Portland and the Affordable Housing Programs Manager (Assistant Director) at the Portland Housing Bureau. Karl was instrumental in the creation of Portland’s first-ever affordable housing bond and inclusionary housing programs and co-led the North/Northeast Neighborhood Housing Strategy which, among other things, sought to assist over 70 new homeowners who had experienced racially-based housing discrimination by the city. He has deep expertise in affordable homeownership development projects and has worked with partners such as Proud Ground and Habitat for Humanity.
An actor, entrepreneur, and horticulturist, John Kish has been an active member of the Bend community for 10 years. During this time, he has focused on providing a home for his family, expanding cultural opportunities, fostering community, and protecting Bend's natural beauty. His days are spent managing his indoor plant shop, Somewhere That's Green, and his evenings are dedicated to producing, directing, and managing The Greenhouse Cabaret, a theater aimed at enhancing performing arts in Central Oregon. In addition to these endeavors, he also performs as a professional Drag Queen, Fertile Liza, and travels across the west coast for hosting gigs and performances.
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