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Researcher(s):
Jacob Weiss Drew Williamson Aaron Fellows Samson Harman
ENVS course(s): 330 Initiated: April 2015 Completed: May 2015 Go to project site
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Affordable Housing & the UGB: A Patchwork Plan in the city of Portland, Oregon
The issue of affordability in housing is one that has been studied in cities around this country and internationally, each with a unique mixture of geography and socio-economic situations. Our jumping off point for this research paper focuses on the local conditions and their implications for affordable housing in Portland, Oregon, an urban landscape known for its unique progressive policies influencing urban form. Specifically, we are interested in learning whether or not affordable housing is available in Portland as well as the ways that policy can better address the needs of a variety of socio-economic groups. Our project expands upon research conducted by 220 students who look at the Urban Growth Boundary as one policy approach. UGBS aim to create more efficient urban growth, prevent urban sprawl, and is a unique feature of Portland’s landscape.
While the research conducted by 220 students concludes that there is no relationship between house prices inside and outside of the boundary, other theories and studies have produced differing results (Naldoza 2014). Our findings for Portland suggest congruence with national trends regarding affordability struggles and the shortcomings of unplanned active growth. The urban growth boundary is one approach to addressing some of these issues, however, housing affordability in Portland is determined less by one unified housing plan and more by a combination of public policies and private efforts. Furthermore, while it is apparent that the UGB does play a significant role in influencing the development dynamics of urban spaces, and although it’s direct role in housing prices and affordability is ambiguous, one could argue that it does enhance the ability of the city and the region to design more effective policies to better address common issues in housing.