Friday, July 20, 2012

Suburban Diversity Paper Includes Portland.

National Journal news story HERE, paper is HERE
Portland reference says 
Oregon and its largest metropolitan area, Portland, provide excellent examples of state- and metropolitan-level actions that promote and maintain integrated communities. At the state level, Oregon’s Land Use and Development Commission Goal 10, promulgated in 1973, requires that regional and local comprehensive plans “encourage the availability of adequate numbers of needed housing units at price ranges and rent levels which are commensurate with the financial capabilities of Oregon households and allow for flexibility of housing location, type and density.”

At the regional level, the Portland metropolitan area’s regional planning policies have helped to reduce segregation by encouraging all developing communities to provide for their fair share of affordable housing. The area has a strong regional planning agency (Portland Metro) that enforces a regional growth boundary designed to focus new development in core areas.
Research for the 1990s shows that the most common measure of black-white segregation—the dissimilarity index—declined more rapidly in regions with growth-containment policies. Black white racial segregation has in fact decreased in the Portland region—it is now one of the nation’s least class-segregated metropolitan areas
I agree with last sentence; the rest of the quote over hypes the role that Metro and Goal 10 has played, other than encouraging infill development (a good thing).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog


1 comment:

  1. I admit I have read only your post, but it brings this question to my mind -- How does the publication make the jump from reduced racial segregation equating to reduced class segregation?

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