PO Box 28454 Portland, OR 97228 PHONE: (503) 626-8197 oapa@oregonapa.org http://www.oregonapa.org February 9, 2017 To From SUBJECT Oregon planners Becky Steckler, OAPA Program and Policy Manager Results of recent survey on the value of planning in Oregon NEW SURVEY SHOWS OREGONIANS CONCERNS ABOUT HOUSING, SUPPORT FOR UGB By Becky Steckler, AICP OAPA Program and Policy Manager Planners are all too familiar with citizens coming to protest the latest change to the comprehensive plan or zoning code. Citizens regularly show up to decry increased density in their neighborhood, lack of affordable housing, changes to parking standards, among other topics. However, there is a silent majority that favors increasing the supply of housing, even if it means that density will increase, especially if it results in preserving farms and forestland, according to a recent poll. In 2015 OAPA surveyed Education and Outreach priorities for members and non-member planners around the state and, the highest ranked topic was education around the benefits of planning. In 2016 OAPA successfully received a $5,000 grant from the American Planning Association s Chapter President s Council to conduct research and create a toolkit for local planners to help the Chapter and members talk to the public about the benefits of planning. As part of this project, the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA) partnered with DHM Research in November 2016 to include questions about planning in Oregon as part of the Chapter s Benefits of Planning Project. Key takeaways from the DHM survey of over 700 Oregonians are: Housing affordability is a primary concern. It is considered a more urgent priority than efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and two-thirds of respondents from around the state said they would rather see density increase in their neighborhood through different types of units than to see housing costs rise by preserving single-family neighborhoods as they are now. Support for the urban growth boundary to protect productive farm and forestland remains strong. While 75% of respondents indicated their support, 37% said they only somewhat agreed with that statement. Respondents support building close to existing infrastructure, even if it means denser communities. Cost efficient use of tax-payer dollars may be a stronger incentive than reducing reliance on automobiles. Universities and research institutions are the most trusted source of information for land use planning, and almost no one thinks elected officials should be trusted on this issue (neighborhood associations also did very poorly).
OAPA, Page 2 While the results of this survey are reassuring, planners still have a lot of work to do. Other polling by DHM Research shows that Oregonians are very negative and skeptical about government at all levels. Coupled with the public s low awareness and knowledge about what it takes to run government, planners are going to continue to have very challenging work ahead. For example, according to Adam Davis of DHM, when asked to name any tax that pays for public services, 37% of Oregonians surveyed in 2016 can t name one. Sixty-four percent of respondents either strongly agreed (32%) or somewhat agreed (32%) that government is wasteful and inefficient with our taxes and cannot be trusted to make good decisions. Effectively demonstrating the benefits of planning is more important than ever. COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS DHM conducted a panel via the internet on November 10 17, 2016 and asked seven land use related questions. This section lists those questions, as well as demographic information about the 798 Oregonians that responded to the panel. WARM UP 1. All things considered, do you think Oregon is headed in the right direction, or off on the wrong track? Response Category N=798 Right direction 45% Wrong track 40% Don t know 15% LAND USE PLANNING Let's turn to a new topic: land use and community planning. Oregon's population is growing rapidly and communities must make plans to accommodate for future residents. The following statement pairs represent differing points of view about how a community should plan for growth. 2. Which of the following statements most closely matches your view? A. My community should allow different types of housing like duplexes, triplexes, and apartments to help ease housing costs, even though density may increase. B. My community should retain its existing mix of housing types, even though housing costs may continue to rise. Response Category N=737 Total Statement A 68% Statement A, strongly 34% Statement A, somewhat 34% Total Statement B 27% Statement B, somewhat 11% Statement B, strongly 16% Don t know 4%
OAPA, Page 3 3. Which of the following statements most closely matches your view? A. My community should encourage more housing in developed areas to preserve productive farms and forestland, even though the character of existing neighborhoods may change. B. My community should encourage more housing at the city's edges to preserve existing neighborhoods, even though that may mean building on productive farms and forestland. Response Category N=733 Total Statement A 75% Statement A, strongly 38% Statement A, somewhat 37% Total Statement B 16% Statement B, somewhat 13% Statement B, strongly 3% Don t know 9% 4. Which of the following statements most closely matches your view? A. My community should design and build neighborhoods that encourage residents to walk, bike, or take transit to work, school and shopping. B. My community should preserve existing neighborhoods and make it easy to get around by car and find parking. Response Category N=730 Total Statement A 63% Statement A, strongly 40% Statement A, somewhat 23% Total Statement B 31% Statement B, somewhat 16% Statement B, strongly 15% Don t know 5% 5. Which of the following statements most closely matches your view? A. My community should invest in more housing and retail space near existing infrastructure like roads and sewer lines, even though neighborhoods may become more dense. B. My community should invest in more housing and retail space on undeveloped land, even though infrastructure costs may increase. Response Category N=734 Total Statement A 75% Statement A, strongly 37% Statement A, somewhat 37% Total Statement B 18% Statement B, somewhat 13% Statement B, strongly 6% Don t know 7%
OAPA, Page 4 6. As the population continues to increase, community leaders must make choices about how to accommodate new residents. Below is a list of issues that must be considered when making these choices. Please rank these issues on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is the most important consideration and 7 is the least important. Response Category Most N=651 Second most N=651 Housing affordability 28% 25% Cost and efficient use of taxpayer dollars 26% 16% Preservation of productive farms and forestland 18% 17% Air and water quality 16% 20% Neighborhood walkability and bikefriendly neighborhoods 5% 8% Reducing reliance on cars 4% 4% Access to public transportation 3% 10% 7. If you wanted more information about the impacts different policies addressing growth have on communities, which of the following sources of information would you trust the most? Response Category N=760 Universities or research institutions 28% Newspapers and other news sources 15% Nonprofit organizations 14% Government planning agencies 14% Friends or family 12% My neighborhood association 5% Elected officials 0% Other (please specify) 13% 8. Which of the following sources of information would be most helpful in learning about community planning issues in Oregon? Select up to three. Response Category N=713 Community meetings or workshops 59% Print or online newspapers 58% Social media 37% TV news or TV programs 33% Radio news or radio programs 26% Books or magazines about community planning 14% Other (please specify) 7%
OAPA, Page 5 DEMOGRAPHICS 9. In which county do you live? Response Category N=723 Tri County 44% Willamette Valley 28% Rest of State 28% 10. In what year were you born? Response Category N=706 18-34 29% 35-44 17% 45-54 17% 55-64 17% 65+ 19% 11. I identify my gender identity as: Response Category N=723 Male 49% Female 49% Non-binary or gender nonconforming 1% Trans N=0 Other N=1 12. With which of the following races of ethnicities do you identify? 13. What is your party registration? Response Category N=711 White 93% Black/African American 3% Hispanic/Latino 3% Native American/American Indian 2% Asian/Pacific Islander 1% Other 5% Response Category N=716 Democrat 48% Republican 20% Independent Party of Oregon 7% Registered as a member of another party 7% Not registered as a member of a party 19% Not registered to vote 0%
OAPA, Page 6 14. What is the highest level of education you have received? Response Category N=712 Less than high school diploma 1% High school diploma 36% 2-year degree/some college/certificate 36% 4-year degree 14% Graduate degree 13% 15. What was your total household income in 2015? Remember to include everyone and your best guess is okay. Response Category N=699 Less than $25,000 16% $25,00- $49,999 22% $50,000-$74,999 24% $75,000-$99,999 17% $100,000-$149,999 16% $150,000 or more 5%