Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

50 Years And Counting: Why Environmental Preservation Is Embedded In Oregon Culture, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the years following World War II, suburban growth began consuming Willamette Valley farmland. Increasingly affluent families were snapping up vacation properties with mountain and ocean views. Oregonians in the latter half of the 1960s responded with conferences, reports and finger-wagging at the bad example of California. In 1969, the legislature acted with Senate Bill 10. The legislation established land-use regulation as a state concern, requiring local governments to develop land-use plans in line with 10 statewide goals. The intention was good, but the measure lacked teeth for monitoring and enforcement. McCall promised to fix the problems when he ran …