High quality agricultural land is a valuable non-renewable natural resource; however, many regions struggle to protect this resource when it exists in close proximity to growing urban areas. Oregon, USA is often held up as a model of successful land use planning in the North American context, having established a state-wide system in 1973 that both supports urban areas and protects rural areas. The Willamette Valley makes a particularly interesting case study region, as it contains a great deal of Oregon’s best agricultural soils as well as the majority of Oregon’s population. This research explores Oregon’s land use policies and their outcomes in the Willamette Valley using a framework of planning for “agricultural systems” – an emerging, more holistic approach to agricultural land use planning. Using a reference frame of the author’s home region of Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe, this presentation highlights lessons on land use planning and farmland conservation relevant to other regions with the combination of high quality farmland and growing urban areas.

Presenter: Laura Schreiner

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