Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties and Metro are leading a regional process to identify land for future urban development and protect farms, forests and natural areas for the next half century.

It isn’t hard to figure out why we love the Portland metro region. Through shrewd planning and a love of place we’ve kept nature close to home and country close to city. Today the region is at a defining moment in which important long term decisions will determine the shape and size of cities, towns and rural landscapes for years to come.

At the end of 2009, Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties and Metro will enter into agreements that will determine the location and scale of urban development for the next 40 to 50 years. These same agreements will determine which natural features will be protected from development and which lands the region believes are most valuable maintained as farms and forests over that same time period.