Cascadia Partners Wins 2026 OAPA Innovation in Planning Award for CFEC Walkable Design Model Code and Guidebook
Developed in partnership with Oregon DLCD, the resource gives local jurisdictions a practical path to CFEC compliance.
The Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association has awarded Cascadia Partners and Oregon DLCD's Transportation and Growth Management Program the 2026 Innovation in Planning award for the CFEC Walkable Design Model Code and Guidebook.
Oregon's Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities rules require cities and counties statewide to update their development codes — but translating complex state requirements into workable local code language demands expertise most planning departments don't have on staff.
The answer was a two-part resource: a model code ready for local adoption, paired with Oregon's first illustrated guidebook explaining how to actually use it. Written for planners, elected officials, and community members, the Guidebook uses case studies, annotated photos, and plain-language text to make CFEC compliance approachable for jurisdictions of every size.
Oregon has produced model codes before. None came with a guidebook showing what good implementation looks like. That was the gap this project closed.
Congratulations to the team: Alex Joyce, Pauline Ruegg, Jamin Kimmell, Tara Sorrels, Martin Glastra van Loon, and Finley Heeb at Cascadia Partners, and Cody Meyer and Bill Holstrom at DLCD.
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