Housing + Cities
Parking Reform: From Theory to Practice
The principles of parking reform are straightforward, but the politics can be another story. Four changemakers from both in and outside of government share their stories of how they won victories for using city space more efficiently.
Political Leadership for Abundant Housing
St. Paul councilmember Mitra Jalali, Former Oregon House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek, Washington state representative Jessica Bateman, and moderator Conor Dougherty (New York Times) discuss housing advocacy at local and state levels and how focusing on real people and their stories can unite coalitions around a common cause.
Thumb on the Scale: Our Housing Systems and How to Fix Them
Jerusalem Demsas (The Atlantic), Jenny Schuetz (Brookings Metro), Allan Lazo (Fair Housing Council of Oregon), and moderator Vivian Satterfield discuss the need to rethink our exclusionary housing systems and the community engagement process in order to reshape these systems and their outcomes.
Fighting the Freeway Industrial Complex and What It Means for Housing, Infrastructure, and Transit
Alex Contreras (Happy City Coalition), Adah Crandall (Sunrise Movement PDX and Portland Youth Climate Strike), and Martha Roskowski (Further Strategies) discuss their organizations’ advocacy work and the intersection of housing, the climate crisis, and transit in the push against freeway expansions.
The Future of Historic Preservation
Social design artist Cleo Davis, Portland Historic Landmark Commission’s Kristen Minor, and moderator Steph Routh dig into the often controversial work of historic preservation and how the effort can and should be used to acknowledge all histories.
Cultivating Business Leadership for Abundant and Equitable Housing
Two Portland-based civic leaders discuss how entrepreneurship and a better, more just urban form can go hand in hand.
Equitable Schools Demand Equitable Neighborhoods
Building strong and diverse schools relies on building strong and diverse communities. Courtney Westling (Portland Public Schools), community advocates Scott Bailey and Dan Reed, and moderator Rachel Cohen (Vox) discuss the challenges in ensuring diversity in public schools amid gentrification, displacement, and school choice policies.
Housing Abundance Requires Abundant Transportation
Alex Baca (Greater Greater Washington), Alex Contreras (Happy City Coalition), Amy Stelly (Claiborne Avenue Alliance), Jarrett Walker (Jarrett Walker + Associates), and moderator Michael Andersen (Sightline Institute) share their experiences in transportation advocacy and discuss how robust, effective, and efficient transit provides people with access to opportunity.
Keeping Our Neighbors Housed: Humanizing Homelessness and Bringing Everyone to the Table
Mercedes Elizalde (Central City Concern), Cole Merkel (HereTogether), and Mindy Woods (Resident Action Project) discuss how to form coalitions to then build power and effect policy change on all levels so that everyone can have a safe and stable place to call home.
More Trees for More Neighbors
Balancing priorities of greenscape and residential infill to house more neighbors in healthy communities.