Portland's North/Northeast (N/NE) Preference Policy the first in the nation to recreate housing access in a historical community of color to those displaced by urban renewal and gentrification. The policy builds new affordable rental housing with placement priority for families with inter-generational ties to the area. This study provides a critical opportunity to evaluate the question: what are the intended and unintended consequences of the Preference Policy on returning resident's well-being? The research team will:
- Identify the range of resident motivations to seek housing in the N/NE neighborhood;
- Assess residents’ self-reported well-being over time, and;
- Identify opportunities to strengthen returning residents' well-being.
Building from seed data collected in 2019, this study assesses changes to well-being up to three years into residence in new housing, with attention to equity and social, cultural, and civic dimensions of health. Evaluating outcomes for residents who return to a neighborhood with high opportunity and new economic conditions can provide actionable evidence to inform equitable urban planning and the use of community preference policies to benefit low-income residents of color and create healthy, integrated neighborhoods.
Related Evidence
-
Published December 13, 2023View Evidence
Many cities are grappling with the complexities of neighborhood change, gentrification, and shifting geographies of racially segregated poverty. One of the greatest policy challenges is how to support residents to be able to stay in place, and, even more difficult, how to return to the neighborhood after it’s begun to gentrify.