Density

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Originally Posted by Encolpius

High-rises in the Pearl District won't provide the 40,000 affordable homes our region is lacking, either.

Neither will a vague term like density. Real life solutions are what's needed. I gave real life examples of major projects bringing density, but they must be hard to imagine, especially from overseas. There's a lot more growth going on than you realize.

Originally Posted by Encolpius

I agree with you that increasing density in the Pearl District and South Waterfront won't bring down housing prices very much...

It won't bring down housing prices at all. In fact, it will push them further up as it makes the neighborhood even more desirable. I'm certainly not against it. I want more housing built, and I'll be the first to admit that I don't know how to prevent the betterment of a neighborhood from driving up prices in that neighborhood. More dense becomes more walkable, which becomes more desirable, which becomes more expensive as more people want to be there. There aren't going to be easy answers, but a statistic which represents density is no cure all.

Originally Posted by Encolpius

but spreading public investment widely enough (and using it smartly) may eventually help to make every Portland neighborhood attractive and appropriately dense.

You're speaking in vague terms. Which neighborhoods, precisely? How much of an increase in population do you think those specific neighborhoods can handle, and where? Most importantly, as the new, more dense housing is built, and as it provides opportunities for more people to move into the neighborhood, how do you prevent the betterment of the neighborhood from making it more attractive to people who aren't already in the neighborhood? That's a big part of what drives up prices in a given neighborhood, because it's a big part of gentrification. Make a neighborhood more attractive and provide opportunities for newcomers, and you'll get newcomers who sense opportunity. You've probably been gone long enough that you're not familiar with the changes in NE.

Originally Posted by Encolpius

In short, increasing density is indeed something we have to fight for

We?

No. Density as a catch-all cure is not something we should be fighting for. It's vague and does not address what's really needed. Affordable housing is what's needed, but this vague word that assigns a number to an entire metropolitan area does not address that need.

Originally Posted by Encolpius

and we have to fight against developers clamoring for inordinate subsidies for the Pearl District and South Waterfront, against the disproportionate power of wealthy NIMBYs in Irvington and Laurelhurst, against a PDC who believes in subsidizing a Trader Joe's in a strip mall with no affordable housing, right in the heart of Albina, to the tune of $2.5 million… just as much as we need to fight the yahoos in Clackamas County.

You want to fight (from London) against developers who are building density in the Pearl and South Waterfront? Honestly, I think you're here just to fight. Militant, militant, fight fight fight. You want density! DENSITY! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!! Great, so here's where massive amounts of density is being built - being built on a scale which most cities have never seen, by the way. DOESN'T MATTER! FIGHT IT! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Against disproportionate power of wealthy NIMBYs and Neloiberals, even though that's not what the word means, and fight! And when you are getting what you want, FIGHT THAT TOO! Fight, for the fight, for the sake of the fight!!! ...wait. What?