NIMBYs, YIMBYs and the Future of Portland's Neighborhoods

Everyone knows that Portland is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. But as a recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition found, affordability is an issue throughout the state, with the average Oregon renter no longer able to afford a one-bedroom apartment. 

Some blame the NIMBY ("Not in my Backyard") mindset, saying that zoning restrictions and neighborhood backlash often cause housing development projects to scale back or retreat. In response to the NIMBYs, a "YIMBY" ("Yes in My Backyard") movement has emerged and joined with community organizations that have long called for greater density and multi-family housing options for people at all income levels. While some fear the impacts of continued population growth on infrastructure and quality of life, others feel it's time to make room and accept some compromises to accommodate a growing region.

These conversations take place with the backdrop of generations of de facto and de jure discrimination in the housing market that has systematically prevented many Oregonians from securing housing and fostered residential segregation in our city and many others.

Are the YIMBYs being naive? Are property owners putting their personal preferences ahead of the public good? How do we consider equity in planning the housing of the future? Are there points of common ground where comprehensive planning can begin? 

Fifty years after the Fair Housing Act, we are still searching for answers on housing in America, still debating what it means to create neighborhoods that are livable and equitable for all. Join us as we speak with housing experts, community organizers, and others to begin answering these complex, but critical questions.

Panel

Duncan Hwang (he/him/his) is the Associate Director at the APANO Communities Fund where he has the privilege of advocating for Asian and Pacific Islander communities statewide. He also leads the organization's placed-based initiatives including the Jade District, which works to build neighborhood power, improve health outcomes, and prevent involuntary displacement for the nearly 15,000 residents of the neighborhood. Duncan recently served on the Stakeholder Advisory Committees for the Portland and Metro affordable housing bonds and is a current member of the City of Portland's Vision Zero Task Force. 

Duncan has a BA from the University of Michigan and received his JD from Lewis & Clark Law School. Prior to joining APANO, he worked for an international law firm based in Asia working on cross-border merger and acquisitions and in supporting the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 

Bandana Shrestha is the Director of Community Engagement for AARP Oregon and leads AARP’s livability work in the state including growing and supporting the Network of Age-friendly Communities, advocating for policies and program that enhance affordable and accessible housing options, and expanding transportation and mobility options for all. Before joining AARP, Bandana served as Director of Model Programs and Partnerships for the Points of Light Foundation where she developed and led programs to engage and serve diverse under-served populations, including the Family Strengthening & Neighborhood Transformation Campaign and the Asset Building & Economic Security Initiative. Bandana spent her early career in Nepal working on empowerment-based sustainable development programs. She has a BA from Linfield College and a MFA from University of Oregon. She serves on the boards of Asian Pacific Islander Network of Oregon (APANO) and 211Info.

Mike Kingsella is the Executive Director of Up for Growth National Coalition, a diverse coalition of affordable housing and social justice advocates, environmental organizations, housing producers, major employers, urbanists and transit associations who have joined forces to address our nationwide housing shortage. Mike leads all elements of Up for Growth National Coalition’s operations, including policy research and development, strategic communications, stakeholder outreach, and federal, state and local advocacy efforts. 

Outside of his role with Up for Growth National Coalition, Mike leads the Public Policy and Government Affairs arm of Holland Partner Group, a vertically-integrated commercial real estate investment, development, construction and property management organization, active throughout the Western U.S. 

Mike is a published author and speaker on urban development and housing policy, and has over 15 years of experience in housing policy, commercial real estate investment, capital markets and asset management. He has a Bachelor of Science in Community Development and Real Estate Development, cum laude, from the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

Madeline Kovacs is the coordinator of Portland for Everyone at 1000 Friends of Oregon. Portland for Everyone is a local coalition of affordable housing providers, community based and environmental organizations, neighborhoods, and local businesses that advocates together for land use decisions that can deliver more abundant, diverse, and affordable housing options for Portlanders. 

Prior to coordinating Portland for Everyone, Madeline worked for a decade in the international youth climate movement. This advocacy work included organizing on college campuses, national movement-building and communications, and at the 2009 and 2011 United Nations Climate Negotiations. For three years she helped found and co-directed Project Survival Media, a global youth journalism network, covering direct actions and producing online media to amplify under-represented voices in the climate conversation. Madeline also worked for Orange Splot LLC, a small housing development company and general contractor, and interned for two years at the City of Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability. She earned her BA in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Studies from Macalester College. Madeline currently serves on the Board of Directors of Proud Ground Community Land Trust. 

Moderator

Rachel Monahan is a news reporter at Willamette Week