Brainstorming the Future of Our Rogue Valley – a facilitated Zoom discussion

As we begin to emerge (we hope) from the worst of the pandemic, and reconstruct after devastating fires, we in the Rogue Valley face big challenges resuming “normal” life, but we want to explore opportunities to move beyond the old normal. Many topics could come up, and most are interconnected. That’s one reason an open discussion can help clarify for ourselves what the future of our communities might be like and how we might shape it. Jefferson Center Member Tony Davis will facilitate this discussion on Zoom

Here are some of the issues that we may be discussing:

• Housing: How should we rebuild after the Almeda Fire – the same as before, or differently? How should communities facilitate new construction? How should cities encourage sustainable models of development, like higher density, or should they at all? How should we address rapidly rising costs of housing?
• Demographics: How much population growth do we anticipate? How much do we want? What kind of growth do we want? How much can or should policies shape this growth to encourage racial, ethnic, social, and economic diversity?
• Economics: What kinds of jobs and workers do we want and need in the region? What measures can help bring jobs and workers here? Should certain kinds of industries and activities be prioritized and incentivized here (health care, high-tech, high-value-added agriculture (wine grapes, cannabis)? How do large existing employers and sectors, like SOU, OSF, agriculture, healthcare and retirement communities, etc., figure into this?
• Transportation: How do we ensure mobility as our populations grows and ages? What will our transportation needs be as work evolves? What kinds of transit are worth considering? What does a future of autonomous vehicles imply for this region?
• Environment and Resources: In the face of climate change, how do we assure a water supply that meets the needs of residents, agriculture, industry, and the natural environment; and mitigate the dangers of fire in the region? What other environmental issues loom large here? How do they affect our quality of life and recreational opportunities?
Cutting across all of these are the questions of how we determine priorities and pay for what we envision.