Search Results
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When Cities Switch To One-Winner Council Districts, Housing Growth Plummets
A new 11th-hour idea for rewriting the rules of Portland’s city government has several possible flaws, but here’s one: statistically speaking, it’d be likely to worsen the city’s housing shortage. The proposal was publicly floated in a media interview three weeks ago by its loudest advocate, city Commissioner Mingus Mapps. Mapps’s idea, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive: to scrap the concept hammered out by a city-appointed citizen commission over the last...Read more » -
We’re Wildly Underestimating the Potential of Mobile Housing
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Can Anchorage Bring Back the Triplex?
There’s not much consumer choice in the Anchorage housing market. Single-detached homes, or “one-plexes,” are the norm, even though residents want more options to accommodate their different life stages and budgets. So, some of Alaska’s top architects and builders teamed up with Fairview residents in a neighborhood design contest to imagine a future inspired by historic housing norms, when cities allowed a wider array of homes in American neighborhoods. In...Read more » -
One in Three Garages Has No Car in It
Over the decade since I moved to Portland, I have lived in seven different places. Three of those homes had off-street garages, but I always parked my car on the curb. Why? One house used the garage as an extra living room. Another driveway had a sharp turn into the garage, making it a hassle to back out of. The last garage had a steep incline to get to it,...Read more » -
Celebrating and Dissecting Municipal Victories for Abundant Housing
Will Thomas of Open New York talks about the pro-housing movement in New York City, with Meg Fencil of Sustain Charlotte and Sam Diaz of 1000 Friends of Oregon (image from session, courtesy of Open New York).
The conversation shared below was part of the YIMBYtown 2022 conference, cohosted by Sightline Institute and Portland: Neighbors Welcome.* All politics are local, and nowhere is that more apparent than in campaigns to reform city zoning codes to re-legalize missing middle housing. How are abundant housing advocates building coalitions with other housing advocates, navigating city hall, and finding the votes for zoning reform? What learned lessons can they share with...Read more » -
Cultivating Business Leadership for Abundant and Equitable Housing
The conversation shared below was part of the YIMBYtown 2022 conference, cohosted by Sightline Institute and Portland: Neighbors Welcome.* How can housing advocates build relationships with business leaders to support a larger agenda of housing abundance? In an era in which municipal politics are often dominated by corporate interests, civic leaders willing to speak out about the importance of proactive investment in equitable housing practices are a critical asset in...Read more » -
Housing Abundance Requires Abundant Transportation
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More Trees for More Neighbors
The conversation shared below was part of the YIMBYtown 2022 conference, cohosted by Sightline Institute and Portland: Neighbors Welcome.* City dwellers love their urban tree canopy, and YIMBYs love more neighbors. How we ensure all neighborhoods—across income, race, and geography—can enjoy the benefits of greenscape and residential infill? Panelists at this YIMBYtown 2022 session included Ted Labbe of Urban Greenspaces Institute and Doug Klotz, a cofounder of Oregon Walks and...Read more » -
Welcome to YIMBYtown!
The conversation shared below was part of the YIMBYtown 2022 conference, cohosted by Sightline Institute and Portland: Neighbors Welcome.* As reported in the New York Times, I was feeling triumphant when I opened YIMBYtown in April 2022. I was feeling triumphant because abundant-housing ideas and advocates have gained an immense amount of sway in recent years in Cascadia and around the world. Win after win after win has come in...Read more » -
We Could Fit Lots of Homes in the Middle of Old Strip Malls
What can you do with half-empty parking lots at struggling strip malls and shopping centers? A lot, according to a report released last month by Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council. MAPC’s analysis of the region’s 3,024 strip malls found that redeveloping just the best suited ten percent of them per town into mixed-use housing and commercial space could provide 125,000 new homes for the Boston metro region. This change alone...Read more »