The Portland Residential Infill Project is expected for approval by the Portland City Council today, culminating a six year process that became more and more ambitious with every iteration.

[Update: the Portland City Council voted to approve the residential Infill project on August 12, by 3-1 vote, according to a press release from Portland: Neighbors Welcome.]
"Portland’s city council seems certain Wednesday to set a new bar for North American housing reform by legalizing up to four homes on almost any residential lot," reports Michael Andersen.
The Residential Infill Project, the name of the package of planning and zoning reforms, is expected to pass with a 3-1 vote, after years of headlines describing the reforms proposed by the project as more controversial than they appear in the end. Planetizen has been tracking the Residential Infill Project through ups and downs and twists and turns since 2016, but Andersen traces the origin of the project back six years, to a letter by a local micro-developer.
Andersen expects the effects of the new rules to present a turning point in the history of the city. "The measure will make it viable for nonprofits to intersperse below-market housing anywhere in the city for the first time in a century."
Among the specifics of the Residential Infill Project are a “deeper affordability” option that will allow four to six homes on any lot, "if at least half are available to low-income Portlanders at regulated, affordable prices," explains Andersen.
The new rules also include big time parking regulation reform, removing parking mandates from three quarters of land zoned for residential use in the city.
All in all, Andersen says the new rules are: "the most pro-housing reform to low-density zones in US history."
The Sightline Institute is sharing this infographic, created by Alfred Twu, to illustrate the kinds of housing development legalized by the Residential Infill Project.
Image by Alfred Twu, courtesy of the Sightline Institute.
Included in Andersen's in-depth article is a lot more detail about the reforms implemented by the Residential Infill Project, the evolution of the project as it made its way through the planning and political process in Portland, and a comparison of how this new planning reform compares to other recent, ambitious planning innovations implemented in cities like Minneapolis, Austin, Seattle, and Vancouver.
Finally, Andersen concludes with a call for more cities to follow Portland's example, and for the federal government to aid in that effort.
FULL STORY: ON WEDNESDAY, PORTLAND WILL PASS THE BEST LOW-DENSITY ZONING REFORM IN US HISTORY

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.

How To Sustain the E-Bike Boom: Make Riders Feel Safe
Riders of electric and non-electric bikes alike agree that they would ride more if they felt safer on city streets, signaling a need for an increased focus on bike infrastructure.

Zoning Stands in the Way of Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is cheap as ever, but zoning isn’t keeping up with the market.

Mixed Use Could Lower Neighborhood Crime Rates
New research shows areas with a heavy concentration of commercial offices experience 40 percent higher crime rates than neighborhoods that mix residential and commercial uses.
City & Borough of Juneau
City & Borough of Juneau
DMR Architects
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.