Housing Crisis Exposed: Radical Solutions for Portland’s Broken Development Systems

HFO partner Greg Frick interviews Ezra Hammer, an attorney specializing in land use and real estate with Jordan Ramis law firm. Their discussion explores the critical housing challenges facing Portland and the state of Oregon. Hammer discusses the region's significant housing shortage, with approximately 45,000 missing housing units and low development rates, highlighting systemic issues like infrastructure funding, overly localized community engagement, and restrictive urban growth boundaries. He advocates for radical policy changes, including state-level infrastructure funding reforms, reducing neighborhood-level development obstacles, and expanding urban boundaries to facilitate housing production. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need to address housing affordability, with over 50% of renters currently being housing-burdened, and calls for a holistic approach to urban development that prioritizes broader community needs over hyper-local interests.