SALEM, Ore. — The State’s Community Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC), staffed by the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), has recognized a Clackamas County planning initiative with a 2026 Achievement in Community Engagement (ACE) Award for its work advancing inclusive public participation in long-range transportation planning.
Each year, the CIAC accepts applications for the ACE Awards, which highlight excellence in community engagement within Oregon’s land use planning process. This year, the committee selected Clackamas County for its project titled “Developing the Framework for Engagement and Decision-making with Underserved Populations for the Clackamas County 2045 Transportation System Plan Update.”
The honored effort was supported by an $88,500 DLCD Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities Grant aimed at strengthening equitable engagement practices. Through the funding, Clackamas County’s Department of Transportation and Development (DTD) partnered with the Public Health Division (PHD) to design and implement outreach strategies for the Transportation System Plan (TSP) update.
Officials said the collaboration centered on elevating community voices in decision-making processes, particularly among residents from underrepresented backgrounds and individuals with disabilities. The two departments developed a shared engagement framework grounded in both community liaison relationships and data analysis.
“This project built upon a long-standing partnership between DTD and PHD to incorporate public health principles into our transportation work,” said Mike Bezner, assistant director of DTD. “But this is the first time we’ve had dedicated resources to bring in additional public health staff like the community liaisons to take our collaboration to a deeper level.”
Clackamas County Public Health Director Kim La Croix emphasized the role of trusted community connections in reaching residents who are often excluded from traditional planning processes.
“Our community liaisons have strong ties to some of our most vulnerable and historically underrepresented communities,” La Croix said. “While they may not be transportation experts, they have established trust to bring them into processes like this.”
As part of the project, the county piloted its engagement framework through three play-based workshops held across the region. The events incorporated multilingual interpretation, meals, participant stipends, and community-led outreach to encourage broader participation. Organizers worked closely with disability advocates, as well as Eastern European and Latine community groups, to shape and promote the workshops.
According to county data, approximately 25% of participants identified as having a disability, 50% identified as refugees or immigrants, and roughly 75% reported speaking a language other than English at home. Officials also noted the engagement reached a younger demographic than is typically seen in long-range planning efforts.
Feedback gathered during the workshops helped shape the county’s new Framework for Engagement and Decision-making with Underserved Populations, which will guide not only the ongoing 2045 Transportation System Plan update, but future planning initiatives as well.
CIAC Chair Leah Rausch said the project stood out among submissions for its collaborative structure and emphasis on co-design.
“This is the first of its kind that we’ve seen in an ACE Award application,” Rausch said. “The community co-design and broad application of their framework really set this project apart.”
DLCD staff liaison Sadie Carney added that the ACE Awards continue to highlight promising engagement practices that can be replicated across the state.
Community engagement remains a core component of Oregon’s land use planning system under statewide planning goals, with DLCD and the CIAC continuing efforts to support equitable participation in shaping long-term development decisions.
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