Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities

A wide sidewalk with tables and benches for storefront customers.

Image courtesy of Cascadia Partners.

The Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) program reduces climate pollution from transportation and promotes equitable planning outcomes. The program applies in metropolitan regions with populations over 50,000 people:

Albany
Bend
Corvallis
Eugene-Springfield
Grants Pass
Medford
Portland
Salem-Keizer

Background and Program Basics

The Oregon legislature passed legislation that set goals to reduce climate pollution by 2050, including pollution from transportation, which is roughly 36% of the total. Unfortunately, Oregon is off-track on reducing how often and how far Oregonians drive to meet their daily needs.

To correct course, the Land Conservation and Development Commission updated the Transportation Planning Rules and Metropolitan Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Rules. After two years of extensive community engagement, the commission adopted the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities program in 2022 and adopted corrections, clarifications, and adjustments later that year.

DLCD’s Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) program works with other departments through Every Mile Counts.

Local Support and Grants

DLCD and ODOT are supporting cities and counties inside metropolitan areas to implement the CFEC program, ODOT's website has additional assistance resources.

The Housing Connection

Check out the following resources to see how CFEC increases local housing choice.

Increasing Housing Production and Transportation Choices: A summary of how CFEC integrates with the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis program
Climate-Friendly Area Market Feasibility: A summary of key findings from nine market studies
Climate-Friendly Housing Production Strategies Executive Summary: A summary of a study focusing on how land use, urban design, density and building choice influence energy uses and greenhouse gas pollution.
Climate-Friendly Housing Production Strategies Report: A study focusing on how land use, urban design, density and building choice influence energy use and greenhouse gas pollution.

Rules

To help communities implement this program, staff will post resources on this page as they are developed. ODOT's website has additional assistance resources.

Interpretation of Goal 10 Housing (OAR 660-008)
Transportation Planning (OAR 660-012)
Transportation Planning Rules (pdf)
Metropolitan Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets (OAR 660-044)

Regional Scenario Planning

Planning requirements in Metropolitan Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Rules (OAR chapter 660, division 44).

Central Lane Scenario Plan

The cities of Eugene, Springfield, Coburg, and Lane County worked together in a regional process, have developed the Central Lane Scenario Plan. This scenario plan was approved by the DLCD and LCDC.

Salem-Keizer Regional Scenario Plan

The City of Salem and City of Keizer, and Marion County worked together in a regional process to develop the Salem-Keizer Regional Scenario Plan. The cities submitted a regional scenario plan and appendices for approval on March 31, 2026. The department determined that the plan was incomplete because it was missing information showing that Marion County approved of the submittal and sent an incomplete notification to the jurisdictions. On May 28, 2026 Marion County submitted a different version of the regional scenario plan.
The department will be reviewing the regional scenario plans for compliance with applicable rules. Comments or objections to the regional scenario plans must be submitted to the department by 5pm June 25, 2026. Send any objections to: dlcd.cfec@dlcd.oregon.gov.

Climate-Friendly Areas

A climate-friendly area (CFA) is a mixed-use area with housing, jobs, businesses, and services locatednear one another. Climate-friendly areas allow residents, employees, and visitors to meet more of their daily needs with shorter and fewer driving trips

A climate-friendly area is a mixed-use area with housing, jobs, businesses, and services near one another. Climate-friendly areas allow residents, employees, and visitors to meet more of their daily needs with shorter and fewer driving trips.

CFA Guidance

Designation of Climate-Friendly Areas six-page overview
Climate-Friendly Areas Methods Guide version 4, Sept 2024
Guidance on OAR 660-012-0315, Anti-Displacement Analysis in CFAs
Anti-Displacement Toolkit (and more background and details)

CFA Studies

Public Engagement

The CFEC program created an Equitable Engagement Toolkit to improve equitable outcomes for Oregonians.

Implementation Guidance for Major Equity Analysis
Equitable Engagement Toolkit - handbook for local governments
Community Explorer Mapping Tools:

Interactive Dashboard - explore patterns of demographic, economic, and social characteristics of communities.
Web Map - create and print maps of the demographic makeup of communities

Mapping Tools Training and Guidance:

Community Explorer User Guide - learn how to use the dashboard and included datasets.
Equity Mapping Guidebook - learn how to apply mapping tools to identify spatial concentrations of underserved populations for a Major Equity Analysis.
Equity Mapping Tutorial Videos - watch a tutorial of the Equity Mapping Guidebook

CFEC Equitable Outcomes Statement
Integration of Equitable Outcomes Statement into CFEC program
Using Data to Document Harms- University of Oregon report
History of Black Oregonians including many local events
History of Racist Planning in Portland
History of Racist Land Use and Transportation Practices in Beaverton
Timeline of Oregon and U.S. Racial, Immigration, Education History
Segregated by Design, about how land use policy has been used to divide communities, based on The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein

Parking Reform Guidance and Assistance

Many Oregon cities face parking challenges. Parking reform and management can address these challenges and provide more housing, help businesses thrive, reduce climate pollution, and improve transportation safety.

Guidance

Parking Reform Requirements one-page summary
Where Parking Reforms Apply list of cities and counties
Parking Management Jump Start Guide and other materials(webinar)
Parking Reform and Electric Vehicle Conduit plain language overview
Guidance on OAR 660-012-0405, Parking Regulation Improvements
Guidance on OAR 660-012-0410, Electric Vehicle Conduit
Guidance on OAR 660-012-0415, Parking Maximums
Guidance on OAR 660-012-0430, Parking Reform for Equity Uses
Guidance on Unbundled Parking
Guidance on ADA Parking

Resources

What Happens When Parking Mandates are Reduced
Parking Supply, Car Ownership, and Driving Rates: Five Studies
St Paul Minnesota slides on Parking Reform
Additional parking reform resources (Transportation Growth Management)
Parking reform webinar recording August 30, 2022 slides
Guidance on OAR 660-012-0630, Bicycle Parking
Explaining On-Street Parking Management, Raynell Cooper talk June 2024
How Parking Mandates Crush Small Business (Dallas, TX video)
Parking Data Collection and Meter Revenue Estimate Tool

Walkable Design Standards

The Walkable Design Standards Guidebook helps cities and counties update development and zoning codes to support people walking. It includes model code language that implements Oregon Administrative Rule 660-012-0330, which requires updates of land use regulations to improve urban design. The guidebook has visual examples of various aspects of walkability and corresponding development standards to achieve those outcomes.

Reporting

Cities, counties, and Metro are required report on their progress by May 31 each year. Most years minor reports are due. Some years major reports are due.