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There are several long-awaited zoning proposals that are about to emerge from the planning process and head to hearings and potential adoption at Portland City Council. Two closely related projects are the Residential Infill Project (RIP) and Better Housing by Design.

RIP will get most of the attention because the direction from the Planning and Sustainability Commission this fall was to allow duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in all single-family zoned areas. Though the final proposal is not finished yet, it will be controversial.

What RIP is addressing is the recognition that single-family zones have historically been discriminatory because they exclude everything but the most expensive form of housing from most residentially zoned land. This has led to both racially divided housing and limitations on affordable housing. Though the former issue is harder to address directly, a recent economic analysis shows that this proposal could produce a huge number of smaller, less expensive housing types throughout the city. Where the BHD comes in is setting the stage for reconfiguring how most multifamily housing is designed. By focusing on how much living space can be developed per site area (floor area ratio 鈥� FAR) instead of the number of units per site, it allows for much greater flexibility and creativity in producing units of different sizes for a much wider market.

From a planning perspective there is much to like about these proposals. (Minneapolis just adopted a similar zoning to RIP.) However, there is more to 鈥渁ffordability鈥� than housing. The second biggest expense for most people after housing is transportation. Except for areas near high-capacity transit lines, single-family areas require extensive automobile use, and they are very expensive to own and operate. The city should consider all aspects of 鈥渁ffordable living鈥� when making this decision.