Metro has also taken some land use actions to move towards this goal. They have kept the urban growth boundary tight, and required upzoning and mixed-use zoning in some areas. This strategy seems to be succeeding in many sections of Portland by directing new public and private investment to neighborhoods that for over a decade had seen no redevelopment except by non-profits. Affordable housing became a central organizing issue in the Coalition's platform because the need was so compelling and because it was so clearly an issue that had to be addressed on the regional level. We have found it easy to get people to understand that we live in a regional economy.
Many people live in one community, work in another, and shop in a third.
But the property tax system for funding local government infrastructure and services makes some kinds of development more welcome than others. Time and money are lost that might otherwise be invested in housing, education, family and community activities. The real estate industry has been quick to blame growth management for raising housing prices and making housing unaffordable. The Portland region was rated the second least affordable housing market in the nation by the National Homebuilders Association in 1997. There are several deep flaws with this analysis.