Rogue Valley Post-Disaster Visioning & Rebuild
Post Wildfire Relief: Multiple Projects, Same Community Approach
The city of Talent is located in Southern Oregon, just a half hour from the California border in the Rogue Valley. The semi-rural mountain community comprises small cities, towns, and farmland. Talent is also fifteen minutes from Ashland, an arts-oriented community with increased summer tourism.
After the 2020 Almeda Fire, much of Talent was destroyed – over 3,000 acres burned, 2,500 homes destroyed, and 42,000 people displaced. In the wake of the fire recovery, Salazar was enlisted by the City of Talent to interface with the community and multiple regional stakeholders first to understand the following metrics:
Assess the climate and health impacts of the fire on the region.
Assess how communities of migrant workers who lived in mobile home parks and apartment buildings were impacted by the wildfires. (Many of the homes destroyed by the wildfires belonged to Latino/x families who work as landscapers, fruit pickers, and housekeepers in the Rogue Valley. Centering the voices of these underserved populations was essential.
Assess infrastructure problems highlighted by the fire: lack of resilient water supply, (Talent purchases water from nearby Medford); lack of fire-resistant buildings; and poor emergency communication systems.
After the assessment phase, Salazar led several projects in the area affected by the fire: master planning / site feasibility, design of affordable housing for displaced residents, and design of a Community Hub to accompany the affordable housing site.
Our work in the Rogue Valley has helped communities rebuild in the wake of destructive wildfires through three distinct projects: Talent Community Visioning/Gateway Site, Talent Mobile Estates, and Summit Gardens.
Salazar Architect is providing community engagement, site feasibility, and urban design services.
Location: Rogue Valley, Oregon
Client: CASA of Oregon, City of Talent, Talent Urban Renewal Agency (TURA), Coalición Fortaleza
Map of region with fire damage and two of the project sites
Our work in the Rogue Valley included three separate projects with three stakeholder clients
Map of Almeda Fire
Timeline of our work
Map of regional tribal lands, via Native Land CA
Community-created murals adorn the fences surrounding emergency housing for displaced residents.