Oregon 2050

What will Oregon look like in 2050 and beyond?

Oregon 2050 is an effort to be visionary and collaborate across traditional silos and outside of the constraints of planning as it has been constrained by practice and law, for a more environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, and fiscally resilient future. 

Oregon 2050 offers “big ideas” about how our state will welcome a projected more than one million new residents (relative to the population in 2020), and how we can face challenges and uncertainties about the future, such as the impacts of climate change, ongoing social inequities, and major changes in technology and to the economy. 

Phase 1 brings together leading scholars from Portland State University and community advisors from state, regional and local governments and from community-based and non-profit organizations. 

Phase 1 will culminate in a book, forthcoming in future years. In addition to the book, there are 1-page public summaries (see below) and in-depth reports (available by request) on a range of social and environmental topics.

We break out of traditional silos to collectively identify major public policy issues confronting the state and provide perspective on how to think about those issues in planning for a more just and sustainable future. Oregon 2050 engages a broad range of Oregonians, including leaders as well as residents, in identifying a shared public interest. 

A successful Oregon 2050 will result in increased capacity for state, regional and local leaders across urban, suburban and rural Oregon, and across topic areas, to make informed decisions about preparing for the future. 

Phase 1 Project Leader: Dr. Megan Horst, Associate Professor, Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning