December 17, 2010
Land Use, Jobs and Economic Recovery  
Earlier this week, Governor-elect John Kitzhaber referred to Oregon's current economic situation as a 'death spiral.' Certainly, the challenges that Oregon faces in pulling the state out of a recession are daunting.

As elected officials and community leaders look for solutions, two recent stories - one local and one national - help shed light on the benefits that sound land use planning brings to our communities. An increasing body of evidence shows that balanced, common sense development is good for the economy and for the health and vibrancy of our cities and towns.

National Real Estate Expert Tells Portland Homebuilders:
Housing Crisis Would Be Worse Without Oregon's Land Use Laws

The housing industry is usually hit harder in a recession than most other industries. It's often said that a recession means a depression for the housing industry.

Against the backdrop of the current economic downturn, national housing expert Tim Sullivan delivered this message to Portland area homebuilders at their annual meeting earlier this month:

It could be far worse in Oregon, Sullivan added, if not for the state's strict land-use laws. Oregon avoided Las Vegas-style overbuilding because of the land-use laws frequently assailed by the Home Builders political wing. "It's because of your urban growth boundary," Sullivan said. "You're the antithesis of Phoenix, where you can build anything, anywhere at any time."

Click here to read the full story.

Wall Street Journal:
Suburbs Lose Office Workers to Business Districts, Reversing a Post-War Trend

This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that, in cities around the country, downtown office buildings "have stopped losing tenants or are filling up again even as the office space in the surrounding suburbs continues to empty."

This pattern represents a shift from previous economic recoveries when office space in the suburbs filled up faster than their downtown competitors. Many analysts believe the shift is profound and permanent:

"Young people don't want to be out on the fringe...and as people are beginning to figure that out, it's beginning to get factored into office relocations," said Christopher Leinberger, a real-estate developer and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution. "It's a major structural trend that we in real estate are going to have to adjust to."

Click here to read the full story.

Redesign Gives Fresh Look to Our Web Site   
We invite you to check out the look of our newly redesigned web site. We'd like to know what you think. Here are some of the new articles you'll see there:

Recent Holiday Events Celebrate Community, Good Work, and Good Food

Earlier this month, 1000 Friends supporters gathered in Portland and Bend for festive holiday celebrations.

In Bend, our first annual Winter Harvest Feast felt like an old-fashioned community gathering, combining lively conversation and a multi-course dinner of sustainable, local food. Many thanks to Chow Restaurant for their generosity.

Click here to read more about the Bend event.

In Portland, supporters gathered at Lovejoy Bakers to celebrate and honor the work of several of the next generation of community leaders that are part of our 35 Innovators under 35 campaign.

Click here to read more about the Portland event.
Click here to read more about our 35 Innovators under 35.

Local Heroes: Friends of Linn County

It’s a familiar story across the state: a contentious land use issue spurs local outrage; neighbors weigh their options and seek support from 1000 Friends of Oregon. The result of the case may be insignificant in the big picture, but the newly empowered citizens band together to promote common sense development.

This was the script in Linn County, where Irina and Jim Just sought help in preserving prime farm and forest land from the threat of a proposed golf course.

Click here to ready more about Friends of Linn County. (photo credit: Tony Hayden, Lebanon)

March 26, 2001: SAVE the DATE!  
Join 1000 Friends for our Annual Tom McCall Legacy Dinner: Celebrating a Vibrant Oregon

This event will be held at the Leftbank Annex in Portland our event will feature stations of innovation displaying work of Oregonians dedicated to ensuring that the state we call home remains an extraordinary place to live, work and play.

Ticket prices will be $75. Interested in sponsoring or hosting a table? Please contact Tara Sulzen at tara@friends.org. Mark your calendars and look for an invite in early 2011.

New Math:1678 + 1524 = 1000  
Are you finding it hard to keep up in this fast paced world? Scrambling to keep pace with a 24 hour news cycle? Let 1000 Friends and the power of social media help.

Keep better informed on our work and related issues by following 1000 Friends on Facebook and Twitter. 1678 people on Facebook and 1524 Twitter followers already do.

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What's on Your Mind?   
Comments, suggestions, feedback? Please contact Eric Stachon, Communications & Outreach Director at 503.497.1000 x.129 or by e-mail.

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