Get Involved
Become a Member
Common Ground Oregon-Washington is one chapter of a national, volunteer-led, advocacy organization, Common Ground USA. You can join CGORWA by joining our national organization, Common Ground USA, or you can donate here.
Write an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor
One of the most critical actions you can take is to help inform the local dialogue on the need for authentic property tax reform. Portland for Everyone, now defunct, put together a short guide to help you craft your own op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Compiled below are some examples, see “Resources”.
Get Involved in Your Neighborhood
Want to learn about what’s going on near your home, or to help influence the decisions that local neighborhood associations are making on tons of issues, including housing & zoning? Then show up, attend a meeting, or even run for a seat on the board! We need to make sure that Oregonians with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds are represented at every level of civic engagement.
Resources
Community Discussion Resources
Land Value Tax in Oregon Primer
The Power of Land Value Taxation to Spur “Missing Middle” Housing
Land Value Tax Analysis: Simulating the Tax in Multnomah County
Brookings Institution Report on aligning policies and incentives to produce more housing
Tax Induced Opportunities for Expanding Community Land Trust Housing in Portland, Oregon
Stories & Inspiration:
“Affordable-housing alliance to city: Legalize ‘missing middle’ in bikeable neighborhoods”
Alan Durning Build Small Live Large keynote video (starts at 9:50)
Sara Maxana YIMBY 2016 keynote video
A Duplex, a Triplex and a Fourplex Can Cut a Block’s Carbon Impact 20% – Sightline Institute
Op-Eds & Letters to the Editor
“My View: Infill plan could help make homes more affordable, more suitable” by David Rosenfeld and Madeline Kovacs
“Middle housing could provide new generation with alternative to ‘McMansions’” by Chris Dearth (p.2)
“My View: Gentle infill will help ease our housing crisis” by Ruth Adkins & Sheila Fink
“Residential Infill Project is good – and could be better” by Madeline Kovacs
“Preserving trees AND healthy, affordable neighborhoods” by Jim Labbe
Affordability Mapping Tools:
Portland’s Home Ownership Affordability – maps from PHC & EcoNW
Housing + Transportation Affordability Index
Making Connections:
“Pro-Housing Urban Millennials Say ‘Yes In My Backyard’” in Sierra Magazine
2016 Residential Infill Project: Testimony Sampling
Portland for Everyone’s letter
AARP Oregon’s letter
Richmond NA’s letter
Sunnyside NA’s Letter
Portlanders for Parking Reform’s letter
Living Cully’s letter
PCRI’s letter
Oregon Opportunity Network’s letter
Oregon DEQ’s letter
Earth Advantage’s letter
FOR RESEARCHERS
About Missing Middle Housing:
Legalizing Inexpensive Housing series by Sightline Institute
Missing Middle self-guided walking tour (inner SE Portland including Ladd’s Addition)
Getting to More Missing Middle Housing:
Character-Compatible, Space-Efficient Housing Options for Single-Dwelling Neighborhoods Report for OR DEQ
Letter of support – state building codes to incentivize preservation & adaptation
Tools for small-scale builders, Congress for the New Urbanism
Government & Academic Reports:
“The New Exclusionary Zoning” by John Mangin, Stanford Law & Policy Review
“Redlining of Our Era: Land Use Voter Initiatives” by Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi for Clearinghouse Community
“Housing Development Toolkit” by the Obama White House
“Preserving Housing Choice and Opportunity” by Dr. Lisa Bates, Portland State University
“Sand Castles before the Tide? Affordable Housing in Expensive Cities” by Gabriel Metcalf
Mapping Tools:
Portland’s Home Ownership Affordability – maps by PHC & EcoNW
Housing + Transportation Affordability Index
Land Use, Climate Change & Sustainable Growth:
“More Extensive is More Expensive” report from 1000 Friends of Oregon
Climate Smart Strategy (Metro)
Land Use & Driving (Urban Land Institute)
Cool Planning Handbook (OR TGM program)
“Urban Design to Reduce Automobile Dependence” (Opolis)
“Transit-Supportive Densities and Land Uses” (Puget Sound Regional Council)
Library:
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save American Cities, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck
Zoned in the USA: The Origins and Implications of American Land-Use Regulation by Sonia Hurt
Backdoor Revolution: The Definitive Guide to ADU Development by Kol Peterson
Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism by Ben Ross
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Zoned Out: Regulation, Markets and Choices in Transportation and Metropolitan Land Use by Jonathan Levine
Zoning Rules!: The Economics of Land Use Regulation by William A. Fischel
Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster by Eric Klinenberg
Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup
