TriMet/Metro Southwest Corridor Planning (Portland to Bridgeport Village)

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Here's something people never talk about when discussing the rising costs of housing: Those who get priced out of their neighborhoods unintentionally feed the cycle by pricing out people in the neighborhoods they move into. It's a vicious cycle.

I have a friend we'll call Alice. Alice lived in Hollywood, not far from the theater. For years, she watched as prices were rising in her hood. Eventually, the sad day came when she couldn't afford the latest rent increase. She got priced out. I'm sure those of us who are old enough have all seen this happen to some of our friends, or even to some of us.

Alice & her husband moved further out toward 82nd, and she HATES it... but where else could she find a place big enough for them and her daughter? But think about it from the viewpoint of those who have been living near 82nd for years. They've been seeing more and more people like Alice moving into their neighborhood in recent times. And they've been seeing landlords jacking up the rent - because to newcomers like Alice, those places are a bargain.

Eventually, the people who've been living in Alice's new neighborhood for years may get priced out. And the cycle continues.

I'm not going to pretend there are easy answers. I hope nobody else does either. Developers are usually going to chase the upper market rate and luxury housing segments because that's where the dollars are, and developers making money is an important part of a strong economy. But I firmly believe a major part of the dealing with the issue of escalating housing costs will need to be keeping the economy strong and adding some forms of either incentives or requirements to include affordable housing into new development.