Bend faces a critical challenge: how to accommodate increased population while preserving its unique character and environmental integrity. Unchecked growth can lead to urban sprawl, traffic congestion and strain on natural resources. To navigate these challenges, Bend is embracing “smart growth” principles, an approach to development that prioritizes sustainability, walkability and community well-being.
Smart growth emphasizes creating vibrant, walkable neighborhoods where residents can live, work and play. This reduces reliance on automobiles, a major contributor to pollution, and fosters a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation system. Furthermore, it promotes a healthier lifestyle by encouraging walking, cycling and other forms of active transportation.
Infill development, the redevelopment of vacant lots or underutilized properties within existing urban areas, is a key smart growth strategy. Infill projects maximize the use of existing infrastructure (roads, sewers, schools), reducing the need for costly and environmentally disruptive expansions. This approach also helps preserve green spaces and agricultural lands on the urban fringe.
Mixed-use development, another cornerstone of smart growth, integrates various functions — residential, commercial and recreational — within a single development. This creates pedestrian-friendly environments where residents can easily access shops, restaurants and other nearby amenities. The Hixon, a prominent example in Bend, exemplifies this concept. The rise of co-working spaces, such as The Haven in Bend, further supports smart growth by providing flexible work environments. Residents can work closer to home, reducing commuting time. By fostering a culture of remote work and supporting local businesses, co-working spaces contribute to a more sustainable and resilient economy.
Creating a diverse housing stock is crucial for a thriving, equitable community. Smart growth encourages a variety of housing options to meet the needs of residents at different stages of life, including affordable housing, multi-family dwellings and senior living communities. A range of housing choices ensures inclusivity and prevents the displacement of long-term residents.
Implementing smart growth requires a collaborative effort among city planners, developers, residents and businesses. This involves creating and implementing a comprehensive land-use plan that guides future development and prioritizes smart growth principles, investing in public transportation options (bus routes, bike lanes), creating walkable and bikeable communities by investing in sidewalks, bike paths and pedestrian infrastructure, incorporating green building practices and promoting renewable energy sources, and fostering open dialogue and collaboration with residents to ensure that their voices are heard.
By embracing smart growth, Bend can navigate its growth trajectory while preserving natural beauty, fostering a vibrant economy and ensuring a high quality of life for all its residents. This approach emphasizes long-term sustainability, recognizing that the success of the community depends on a balance between economic development, environmental protection and social equity.
This article appears in The Source Weekly January 9, 2025.
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Smart growth apparently went out the window when Caldera Ranch project was approved. Why build 700 new dwellings in an area where the adjacent community (in the same fire risk classification) is having insurance issues? Many residents of the abutting neighborhood of Woodside Ranch are seeing their rates, double, triple, quadruple and)or are finding their policies are not being renewed by insurers who tell homeowners they’re “uninsurable”.
This newly approved project is supposed to have more affordable housing, how will the increased insurance rates affect these new homebuyers? Higher rates might cancel out any cost savings and render homes unaffordable.
This is NOT SMART.
Additionally dumping 700-1400 additional vehicles on 2 lane Knott Rd is a Paradise event in the making. This is also NOT SMART.
Bend talks a good talk and an economy driven by building and expansion will not survive in the next recession that will come sooner than later. The need for more housing is a self perpetuating argument to continue to build.
The real issue is are more new structures need for current residents or do we need to rethink the status of second homes, seasonal rentals, investment property owners and of course livable wages????
I feel that Bend is over building hurriedly to take advantage of the quick UGB expansion process, City Council was quoted acknowledging that in OPB yesterday. ,(12/13: Irresponsible governance.