COC Wins OAPA Special Achievement in Planning Certificate of Merit Award

COC has received a Certificate of Merit award for Special Achievement in Planning from the 2008 Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association Awards Program for our work developing an economic development roadmap for Clackamas County’s agriculture, natural resources and sustainability industries. This work began when the Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the County’s Economic Development Commission, appointed a fifteen-member Green Ribbon Committee (GRC) in August 2006 to develop:

• an Agriculture, Natural Resource and Sustainable Economic Development Roadmap and Action Plan, and
• a Business Plan and Financial Strategy for a Clackamas County Sustainability Center/Complex.

This project focused on the first assignment and culminated in a report and action plan to strengthen the financial viability of Clackamas County’s agriculture, natural resources and sustainable development industries while helping the County transition to more sustainable practices over time. In particular, the GRC was charged with helping to build a sustainable economy by strengthening rural agricultural and natural resource industries and linking them to urban economic activity. These strategies have significant implications for land use and growth management at the urban/rural interface.