New transit infrastructure is a double-edged sword for low-income renters: one the one hand, increased mobility supports access to jobs and critical services; but if transit-oriented development fails to include and preserve affordable housing, they may be pushed out by rising rents. The question of whether public investments spur gentrification and displacement have created intense controversy around planned transit extensions in our region. My research on precarious rental housing illuminates the specific mechanisms of housing displacement and challenges for housing affordability in the single-family/duplex and the large multifamily rental market. The loss of low-cost housing is occurring even without new infrastructure, but transit planning can be a venue for addressing the problem. By understanding pre-existing inequalities and vulnerabilities, we have opportunities for planning for housing preservation to ensure that the communities most in need of transit can access its benefits.

This presentation is based on two reports conducted in partnership with the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. The first, Planning for Livable Communities Along the Powell-Division BRT: Neighborhood Conditions and Change, was supported in part by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) under grant number RR-912 and is co-authored with Aaron Golub. The second, Preserving Housing Choice and Opportunity: A Study of Apartment Building Sales and Rents, is co-authored with Seyoung Sung.