Healthy Communities, Healthy Oregonians: Connecting the Dots

"Health happens in the neighborhood, not the doctor's office." That's the mantra of noted public health and planning expert Dr. Richard Jackson. The UCLA professor and host of the PBS documentary Designing Healthy Communities offers plain advice for improving our health: it's in the shape of our neighborhoods and how we get around. We're thrilled to welcome Dr. Jackson for a series of lectures all over Oregon. Learn more here.

Walkable Workplace Profile: Standing Tall at Ashland's Standing Stone Brewing

Have you ever seen a brewery that has its own farm, gives its employees free bikes and yoga classes, and composts or recycles almost everything? We hadn't either, until we visited Standing Stone Brewing in Ashland last month. This small business has been getting praise from around the world for its innovative approach to community and environment. It's a great example of a Walkable Workplace, and we were glad to visit in May.

Ashland to Astoria, Joseph to Florence: Your Favorite Oregon "Main Streets"

We heard from several dozen of you when we asked to hear about your favorite Oregon Main Streets. So far, we've heard nominations for everything from small towns like Joseph (pictured at right in a photo submitted by Susanne Twight-Alexander) to urban neighborhoods. What do they have in common? Walkability, variety, character--all the fruits of good planning and preservation. We've put the best submissions on an interactive map on our website. Check it out and add your favorite place!

Oregon's "Unquiet Revolution", Forty Years Later: An Interview with Sy Adler

As we look forward to his McCall Society Speaker Series event in Salem on June 7, we sat down with PSU Professor Sy Adler to discuss what his important new history of Oregon planning teaches us about our current situation. How did the program's early shapers come together despite differences? What should we remember today about what happened then? We discussed it all and more in this interview.

"Islands Between the Lanes": Thoughts on Salem's Downtown

In early May, our Land Use Leadership Initiative visited downtown Salem to learn about its present and future directions. After a tour with city officials, we listened to residents talk about their desires for downtown at a packed event cosponsored by Oregon Humanities. LULI participant Brandon Spencer-Hartle, who works with Historic Preservation League of Oregon, reflects on what he learned on our blog.

Upcoming Events

McCall Society Speaker Series: Sy Adler on Oregon's Land Use Revolution
Thursday, June 7
Reception: 6:30pm | Presentation: 7:00-8:00 pm
Willamette University, Salem
Cost: Free for 1000 Friends members, $15 for others.

1000 Friends is pleased to host Sy Adler, author of a new history of Oregon land use planning and activism, for the next event in our 2012 McCall Society Speaker Series. At this engaging event, Professor Adler will share his insights into what the land use program's origins teach us about its future. RSVPs required to Kristin Barber at kristin@friends.org or 503-497-1000 x123. Learn more here.

Pedalpalooza 2012: Helvetia Community Ride
Sunday, June 10, 12:00pm-3:30pm
Orenco Station to Helvetia and back!

For Pedalpalooza 2012, 1000 Friends is teaming up with a bunch of our partners to organize TWO great rides! We'll start with a fun Sunday afternoon ride through the scenic rural Helvetia area. We'll see and talk about the urban growth boundary, transportation projects, and the food that feeds us and supports the local economy, and make a stop at the historic Helvetia Tavern on our way back to the MAX. Learn more here.

Pedalpalooza 2012: MAX to Market--Connecting to Food in Washington County
Wednesday, June 13, 5:30-8:30pm
Hillsboro to Forest Grove and back!

Our second 2012 Pedapalooza ride is an encore of our very popular ride from June 2011, from downtown Hillsboro to the thriving Forest Grove farmers market. Bring a picnic or buy goodies at the market, and look forward to an easy, beautiful ride in a unique part of our region. Learn more here.

Designing Healthy Communities Speaker Series: Dr. Richard Jackson Visits Oregon
Tuesday, June 19-Friday, June 22
Eugene, Roseburg, Medford, Bend, and Portland

The solutions to the nation's significant obesity crisis are right in front of us: in the shape of our communities and the ways we get around. We're thrilled to help bring public health expert and PBS host Dr. Richard Jackson to Oregon for a series of discussions this June exploring the relationship between community design and communities' health. Learn more here.

Check out our calendar to stay up-to-date on all our upcoming events around the state.

Regional Updates

Share With Us

Let 1000 Friends and the power of social media help keep you up-to-date on our work and related topics. In case you haven't been following us, here's some of what you've missed:

Join Us!

May 31st
Neat to see one of YouTube's new original content channels be given to an Oregon-based food and farming program! Great interviews with Oregon farmres, cooking tips, and profiles of chefs and home cooks trying to make local food a habit. Updated weekly: youtube.com/foodfarmerearth

May 25th
Portland ranks #6 among 40 cities in this great new "ParkScore" tool from The Trust for Public Land. Why isn't it higher? Too many residents can't walk to a park. Good land use means better access to parks for everyone, wherever you live. See the tool.

May 22nd
Why would a huge company like Google care about walkable neighborhoods and housing near offices in its hometown's land use plan? Because it knows that these characteristics attract the talented workers it needs to continue innovating and leading. Read more about Google's support of a General Plan update in Mountain View, CA.

May 17th
"Young Millennials and older Baby Boomers are rejecting traditional suburban lifestyles in favor of urban living and shorter commutes. Many want to live near city centers so they can walk to work, shops and restaurants or take public transportation." That's USA Today on the important changes we're seeing in the US housing market: http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/story/2012-05-15/housing-fills-in-urban-areas/54979594/1

May 15th
In King County, Washington, the suburban town of Des Moines is working to make its streets safer for people walking or biking, to improve public health and make the town friendlier to kids and seniors. It's well worth the cost, but that cost is a good reminder that planning communities better in the first place saves a lot of expense in the long run. Read King County's Complete Streets Hopes To Reverse Health Effects Of Sprawl

May 11th
How about another historic Main Street photo for this week's trivia? We've blacked out some key portions of this photo, but can you identify the town whose main street was once graced by this arch?

Follow Us!

May 30th
Inspired by the young #Oregon farmers featured in this piece from @OregonStateExt's quarterly magazine: ow.ly/bfniK #agchat

May 29th
#LandUseIs: More #walkable places, higher real estate values, as new @BrookingsInst study shows: ow.ly/bdQi1

May 25th
Zombies haunt the #West. Not the flesh-eating kind, but the land-eating kind: unfinished subdivisions. ow.ly/b9DSD @highcountrynews

May 24th
Great review in @wweek of Eyrie Vineyards' 2007 South Block #PinotNoir, made from some of #Oregon's oldest vines: ow.ly/b8omZ

May 23rd
No surprise perhaps to see #Portland & #Eugene there, but congrats to #SalemOR on making the top 50 #bike cities list! ow.ly/b6oZq

May 22nd
New award recognizes that renovating existing buildings often greener than building new: ow.ly/b4WEB

May 17th
Obesity costs #Oregon $1.6 billion/year, new report says, but #landuse and #transportation choices can help. http://ow.ly/bhy4R

May 16th
#JacksonCounty voters rejected 2 anti-planning ballot measures yesterday, keeping #Measure37 in its grave. ow.ly/aXp6Z

May 10th
Too often, #sprawl forces people into longer and longer commutes. It takes a toll--on #health and on productivity. ow.ly/aPTb7

May 8th
Tonight on @OPB TV's Oregon Experience: How #Oregon got on the #wine map, and what it's meant for our state. ow.ly/aMGx4

May 4th
Interesting piece in the @Oregonian: Looking back at Washington County's future, as predicted in 1968 study. ow.ly/aHQBx #WashCo

May 3rd
We'll be in #SalemOR tmrw, with @orhumanities, for a free conversation: Rethinking the meaning of "Downtowns." Join us! ow.ly/aGzJE

1000 Friends of Oregon | 133 SW 2nd Ave., Suite 201, Portland, OR 97204
503-497-1000 | info@friends.org
© 2012, 1000 Friends of Oregon, All Rights Reserved.

Oregon Stories is 1000 Friends' monthly e-newsletter, with updates on our work and important happenings across Oregon and the nation. Questions, comments or story ideas?  Please email craig@friends.org.

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