Portland Residential Infill Project Analysis
Portland, OR · 2023
★ 2026 OAPA Building Tomorrow Today Award
Client: City of Portland, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Location: Portland, OR
Year: 2023
CP Role: Lead consultant
Practice Area: Housing Policy
Team: Alex Steinberger, Project Manager; Paul Runge, Lead Analyst and Author, 2025 Progress Report; Lydia Ness, Data Analyst; Ciara Williams
The Challenge
In 2020 Portland adopted the Residential Infill Project, a zoning reform that set new limits on building size, allowed middle housing types, and expanded accessory dwelling units in low-density residential zones. City staff needed evidence of how the reform was shaping housing production once it took effect.
Our Approach
We analyzed three years of residential sales before adoption to understand sales volumes, prices, and the size and location of new homes. We then analyzed permit data after adoption and wrote case studies of middle housing projects, looking at unit size, location relative to centers and corridors, and how projects related to the new floor area limits. We followed with progress reports and recommendations for monitoring middle housing production over time.
Outcome
In the first year, 73% of new units permitted in the affected zones were in middle housing projects, and most of that housing located in centers and corridors near jobs, transit, and services. The analysis also showed that homes built beyond the new floor area limits had been pushing prices up, supporting the reform's size limits. The monitoring reports received the Oregon chapter of the American Planning Association's 2026 Building Tomorrow Today award.
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