Oregon cities are excluding a key tool that could help their housing goals: maps

Despite the existence of multiple state laws aimed at affirmatively furthering fair housing and addressing housing needs, few Oregon municipalities are mapping their city's resources and neighborhoods. According to an article by Jennifer Bragar and John Miller in Shelterforce, such maps can bring to light patterns of segregation, discrimination and disinvestment, but few municipalities are creating them. 

According to the authors, "When they do so, [cities] can use that knowledge to create specific strategies, such as expanding middle housing, inclusionary zoning, and targeted rezoning to minimize gentrification and increase access to opportunity."

For the authors, the message is clear: the state should mandate geospatial analysis as part of its housing strategy. "Where those maps exist, discrimination becomes visible—and visible discrimination demands a response. Where they don’t, inequality can continue undisturbed beneath a veneer of compliance."