Equity-Centered Research Methods for Oregon Communities

Like many states across the United States, Oregon has a history of using transportation, land use, and housing tools inequitably, which has directed and concentrated benefits to the privileged and harms to underserved communities. Oregon’s past included restrictions on who could own land, redlining and exclusionary zoning, prohibiting more affordable types of housing, and unjust siting of massive highway projects. In recent years, Oregon has begun to acknowledge and take steps to address these inequities. The state’s Land Conservation and Development Commission has updated its Transportation Planning Rules and adopted rules to create and implement the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) program. CFEC aims to reduce climate pollution, increase transportation and housing options, and promote equitable land use planning outcomes. The program also requires Oregon’s metropolitan cities and counties to engage in a major equity analysis when conducting a major update of their Transportation System Plans (Oregon Administrative Rule 660-012-0135(3)). Public Administration graduate students researched documentation and materials to develop a methodology that could assist with completing tasks required by sections (a) and (b) of that rule: (a) Assess, document, acknowledge, and address where current and past land use, transportation, and housing policies and effects of climate change have harmed or are likely to harm underserved populations; (b) Assess, document, acknowledge, and address where current and past racism in land use, transportation, and housing has harmed or is likely to harm underserved populations.