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A couple of weeks ago there was an op-ed in The Oregonian headlined 鈥淧ortland creates parking headaches with bad planning,鈥� which again raises the parking and housing affordability problems that have surfaced as the region has grown rapidly in the last few years. However, the article provides a very narrow and disjointed narrative about these issues.

鈥淕ood planning鈥� starts at the regional level. Metro鈥檚 2040 Plan, adopted 20 years ago and revised and updated since, made a basic choice between continuing to grow out, and growing 鈥渦p鈥� instead. Most planners and many other residents strongly believe that is the only possible way to grow rationally.

The city of Portland and the region鈥檚 other jurisdictions have been working within that framework since 1995, with very positive results. We have created a vibrant and attractive urban area, and holding true to those basic policies is critical to our long-range quality of life.

The parking issue is not the result of 鈥渂ad planning,鈥� or 鈥減olitics,鈥� or some anti-car conspiracy. It is a side effect of a policy to create more walkable communities, which is one of the keys to achieving our long-term livability goals. The city鈥檚 code section that determines parking requirements has been there for decades, but developers have not chosen to build apartment buildings without parking until recently. Studies have shown that, while there are some localized problems with parking access in the block adjacent to these redevelopment corridors, there is still adequate parking capacity within two to three blocks. The city has already made some adjustments to require some parking for future development, and is also working on parking management programs, both of which will help alleviate the problem in those corridors.

These are the 鈥済rowing pains鈥� resulting from rapid growth, and making adjustments to the implementation measures for these policies is part of the process.

More on good planning next time.