Rogue Valley Post-Disaster Wildfire Recovery Housing

Housing & community engagement visioning workshops with communities impacted by climate change

In 2020, a series of wildfires devastated entire communities across Oregon, displacing residents and destroying places. Following the Almeda Fire, much of the town of Talent, Oregon, was destroyed. As the community works to rebuild what was once there, Salazar Architect is providing visioning, community engagement, and master planning services. Many of the homes destroyed belong to Latinx families who work as landscapers, fruit pickers, and housekeepers. To ensure robust participation by members of the Latinx community, we held a series of workshops all in Spanish, with English translation as necessary, in collaboration with CASA of Oregon and Coalición Fortaleza. In parallel, we engaged city residents by leading the Talent Urban Renewal Agency (TURA) Gateway master planning work that will rejuvenate the city with mixed-income ‘missing middle’ housing and community serving commercial space.

Our community engagement work starts by building authentic relationships with the people who have gathered to share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences. This foundation of trust allows us to more deeply understand what is important to those in the community and develop designs rich in authenticity. By engaging with the community in their primary language, we were able to build a deeper rapport and learn more about what was important to this community. 

Salazar Architect is providing community engagement, site feasibility, and urban design services.

Location: Rogue Valley, Oregon
Client: CASA of Oregon and City of Talent