Breakfast Forum: The State of Housing in the Portland Region

Description

For years, Portland's housing debate has cycled through familiar tensions: production versus preservation, market-rate versus subsidized, density versus displacement. Meanwhile, the region has struggled to build enough homes of any kind, and affordability remains out of reach for too many households.

Today, the landscape is shifting in ways that demand a closer look. Housing production has slowed sharply, with multifamily permitting in Portland at its lowest level in more than a decade. Population growth has stalled. Outmigration now exceeds in-migration. And a region once known for economic outperformance finds itself no longer outpacing the nation. These trends shape whether workers can live near their jobs, whether young families can put down roots, and whether Portland remains a place where people across income levels can find housing.

 This Breakfast Forum brings together voices from across the housing ecosystem—finance, development, policy, and research. We'll open with a data-driven presentation on the economic forces shaping Portland's housing market, followed by a moderated conversation with the people working to build what comes next. Together, the panel will explore the choices ahead and what role the business community can play in creating a more attainable Portland