Portland area residents are currently faced with a slew of development- and gentrification-related policies, but the relationships and dynamics behind the policies are often difficult to see. From government incentives for re-development to international companies speculating in Portland rents to Business Expansion Districts trying to masquerade as public improvement, it’s difficult to navigate all the connections. Continuing last month's show (https://kboo.fm/media/70721-rent-speculation-and-selling-portland) on the Central Eastside "Enhanced Services District" and Wall Street-driven rent speculation, we hope to help you connect some of the dots.
We get rent increase caps that might actually help big property management agencies instead of renters and Residential Infill Projects which clear the way for even more expensive apartments without guaranteeing any relief for cost-burdened residents. The commonality is that these policies transfer money from the poor and middle class directly to the pockets of the uber-wealthy.
Another commonality is displacement. As more and more people are forced from their neighborhoods and from their homes, the increasingly apparent manmade crisis of hyper-capitalism offers no answers. Houseless people are further targeted as business owners and developers seek to “clean up” areas that are slated for gentrification.
We’ll talk to a member of Portland Assembly about their take on the city council vote on the Central Eastside Industrial Council’s proposed “Enhanced Services District” and hear from Meg Hansen about the intersection of incentives, Wall Street Interests, Mayor Wheeler’s interests, and the various players who are profiting off little Portland’s Big Boom (and Bust). To find out more about the guests' work, you can also visit the Portland Assembly facebook page.
Meg has prepared a comprehensive dossier on the inner workings of speculative/disaster capitalism in Portland, with extensive background information and links, which is available here.
- KBOO