Oregon Model Code for Small Cities

Imagine a city where comfortable walking paths and bicycle-friendly streets link cohesive neighborhoods to parks, transit, and a thriving main street; high-quality buildings and streets accommodate leafy sidewalks, outdoor dining, stormwater management, bike parking, and multi-modal corridors; and a compact downtown core stimulates foot traffic—and local businesses. For more than two decades, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) have supported this vision through the Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) program and its Model Development Code.

In 1999, the ODOT and DLCD partnership developed the TGM Model Development Code for Small Cities (Model Code), a free comprehensive set of technical regulations and procedures that integrate land use and transportation planning principles to help Oregon cities and counties create thriving, livable places. While the resource focuses on cities with populations under 10,000, communities of all sizes have used it to inform local code updates.

MIG previously assisted with updates to the Model Code in 2012 and 2015, and now the code is due for another major refresh. MIG is collaborating with DLCD, ODOT, and a Technical Advisory Committee to bring the Model Code into alignment with recent changes to State law and evolving best practices in planning. The result will be a user-friendly, smart growth tool that will help today’s planners, builders, and decision-makers strategically implement preferred development scenarios while meeting statewide objectives.