This article is part of the series The Costs of Parking Mandates Find audio versions of Sightline articles on any of your favorite podcast platforms, including Spotify, Google, and Apple. 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 … Read more
This article is part of the series Fairer Elections in Portland Takeaways In June, the Commission will decide whether to submit ballot measures that would: Elect the City Council by geographic districts, with three councilors representing each of four districts; Use ranked choice voting to select the city’s elected officials, including proportional representation for the … Read more
This article is part of the series Fairer Elections in Portland Takeaways The Charter Commission is still deciding: How to make the City Council more representative of Portland’s population; Whether to use a voting system that would more accurately reflect the true values of voters; and Who should run the day-to-day operations of city government. … Read more
Takeaways After months of threat-backed, mediated negotiation to complete the Private Forest Accord, the Oregon legislature is on the brink of codifying it into law. New stream buffer protections, plus an array of other rules, would keep salmon streams cool, protect flow, and avoid sedimentation. With luck, the Feds will approve these rules as a … Read more
Here’s one way cities can help the owners of small homes: allow more building in backyards. In fast-growing areas like the cities of the Pacific Northwest, small detached homes are no longer cheap. But they’ve always been the least expensive detached houses in the neighborhood. And as National Public Radio illustrated in a striking feature story last week, a foothold in the housing market can be a precious … Read more
Tired of focusing on fundraising just to keep your campaign afloat? Voters aren’t the only ones who can benefit from fairer election systems.
Takeaways A new program aims to boost health & save energy for low-income Oregonians. $10 million dollar flexible repair fund aims to broaden the scope of traditional weatherization programs; and Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly supported it. If your home is in bad shape, your health is likely to be, too. That’s the basis behind the … Read more
Takeaways Historic districts could become a more common exclusionary tool: US history suggests that when the public wins one victory against segregation, a different method of segregation often takes its place. Unlike local historic districts, National Register districts don’t require democratic oversight to create. But in Portland, they make infill of lower-cost housing types extremely … Read more
Takeaways Portland has yet to follow years-old council orders to change its parking rules Neighborhoods that struggle with parking agree: the current process for permits rarely works. While Portland paused performance-based pricing during the pandemic, Seattle allowed rates to fall with demand. “Urgent.” A Portland task force studying how to use pricing tools to make … Read more
This article is part of the series Fairer Elections in Portland Takeaways More voters would have a voice if Portland held all local elections in November. Far fewer people vote in the May primary than in the November general election. Eliminating or de-emphasizing the primary would shorten the campaign season and give more Portlanders a … Read more