1

Ben Miller
12/17/14
Digital Image of the City
Professor Jack Gieseking

Unaffordable Housing:
Preempting Displacement and Preparing Low-Income Renters

Research question
The city of Portland, Maine is enigmatic in several senses. Simultaneously
fulfilling and contradicting expectations, the Forest City is at once distinctly urban and
quintessentially Maine. A visitors impression of the Portland may be influenced by the
commercial downtown, culinary offerings, and idyllic New England coastal architecture;
the citys definitive claim that lifes good here is, however, an oversimplification of a
complex reality.1 Despite several lists ranking the small city as highly livable, Portland is
prone to the nationwide affordable housing crisis.2 The citys size and economic
stratification are major contributors issues like homelessness, poverty, and residential
crowding that plague Portland today. While tourists and newcomers help keep the Old
Port open for business, the working class population of East Bayside experiences a
double jeopardy of higher rents and lower income each year. As a result of displacement
and disorganized housing resources, Portlands homeless population increases as the
national percentage drops.3 My research seeks to investigate the options available to
Portlands low-income population.
To counteract this trend towards homelessness and preempt the effects of further
gentrification in neighborhoods like East Bayside, I propose a centralized smart solution

1

"Portland, Maine." http://www.portlandmaine.gov/.

Routhier, Ray. "Portland Excels at Making the List." Portland Press Herald, 2012.
3
Arnold, Althea, Sheila Crowly, and Elina Bravve. "Out of Reach 2014." In Out of Reach, 248: National
Low Income Housing Coalition, 2014.
2

for efficiently securing affordable housing. The current housing infrastructure exists
across several entities including the Portland Housing Authority, Avesta Housing, Maine
State Housing Authority, and the Low Income Housing Corporation. These federal,
municipal, and nonprofit agencies control separate holdings, and there is currently no
comprehensive means to view low-income rental availabilities across agencies. To serve
the common good by aiding at-risk citizens of Portland in the search for homes,
affordable housing data should be centralized, visualized, and updated regularly on a
user-friendly map interface.

Approach to the common good for the city

In an urban context, promoting the common good entails a pursuit of equality
across socioeconomic strata. As Lefebvre articulates through his concept of the right to
the city, access to the citys resources, services, and everyday necessities is central to the
nature of true equality.4 This concept is directly applicable to the issue of housing in that
low-income renters deserve the same personalized process that market-rate renters enjoy
when searching for a new home. Whether individuals who can afford market-rate housing
use Craigslist, Zillow, or a brokerage service, they are able to click and filter their way
into an ideal living situation. Portlands urban poor, however, lack access to a similar
resource.
In addition to navigating a daily life in poverty, they must negotiate the
bureaucratic red tape of government housing authorities and relinquish control of their
living situation. For example, if an East Bayside family is priced out of their rental, the
citys first priority should be housing that family before they end up in an overcrowded

4

Hayden, Dolores. "Urban Landscape History: The Sense of Place and Politics of Space." In The Power of
Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History, 14-43. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1995.

homeless shelter. Current zoning codes in the city of Portland include an incentive system
for mixed-income developments with a reduction in fees that corresponds directly to the
proportion of affordable units in the proposed development.5 Outside investors and
contractors are not always willing to sacrifice the long-term revenue of market-rate units,
which ultimately outweighs the money saved in development fees. Given Portlands
current situation, City Counsel should extend this financial incentive into mandatory
inclusion of affordable dwellings in all new housing developments. Creating this
optimized online toolavailable on smartphones, tablets, personal computers, and
kioskswill show the citys dedication to livability and allow new affordable housing
developments to effect change immediately.

Approach to the smart city

Through implementation, the housing solution I have proposed would contribute
to Portlands smart urban identity. Despite the typical conflation of smart cities and
technological integration, this solution for the urban poor would enhance Portlands smart
city status beyond technology due to its pragmatic and adaptive nature.6 Though
computing power does catalyze the modern citys data-driven adaptation to residents
needs, the smartest city is not necessarily the most plugged-in. For Portland to prove
itself a smart city, it should attempt to allow progress (technological, social, economic)
while carefully monitoring the effects of that evolution through collected data. By
examining trends in income and demographic data, for example, a city can encourage
positive growth while working to counteract unlivable situations.

5
6

Portland, City of. "Code of Ordinances." edited by Land Use, 677-81. Portland, ME, 2013.
Greenfield, Adam. Against the Smart City. The City Is Here for You to Use. Do projects, 2014.

Beyond adapting to data, a smart city should retrofit or utilize the techonology

that has been introduced into its landscape, especially if that landscape was not
engineered with digital life in mind. Portland is no Songdo, which is why networking the
citys data requires creative implementation in order to succeed. As Anthony Townsend
highlights, success of any top-down effort to shape the cities of the future will depend
on bottom-up participation as well, which makes interfacing with citizens an essential
aspect of that implementation.7

Literature review
Academic appraisals and community investigations of Portlands housing
situation often draw heavily upon East Bayside as a case study. Several attempts at urban
renewal in Portland have focused their efforts on the neighborhood, notably among them
the 2000 plan A New Vision for Bayside and 2010s East Bayside: Creating a
Sustainable Vision for Maines Most Diverse Neighborhood. Respectively, these reports
focus on redeveloping vacant or underutilized land and creating new collaborative
public programs in East Bayside.8,9 This push for renewal, however, is sometimes more
concerned with making the neighborhood attractive to tourists and commercial entities
rather than improving the quality of life for the diverse population in East Bayside.
Recognizing the gentrifying effects of such renewal campaigns, Alexander
Tougas states his preference for the comprehensive Sustainable Vision report and
suggests that East Bayside should consciously work to realize its potential for affordable
housing development despite pressure from outside financial interests. In his thesis

7

Townsend, Anthony M. Smart Cities. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013.
Portland, City of. "A New Vision for Bayside." edited by City Council. Portland, ME, 2000.
9
Holt, Alan. "East Bayside: Creating a Sustainable Vision for Maines Most Diverse Neighborhood,"
Sustainable Design Assessment Team, Portland, Maine2010.
8

Gateway to the Forest City? Portland, Maine's Bayside Neighborhood, 1866-2014,

Tougas suggests that Portland can counteract the encroaching force of gentrification in
Bayside by lowering property taxes for longtime residents in the style of many larger
cities today. Tougas comprehensive history of a neighborhood that has been repeatedly
deemed blighted presents a vital framework for viewing renewal as a cyclical process.
Notably, however, Tougas highlights the way in which renewal programs created a
shortage of affordable housing that Portland is working to reverse today.10
Despite the efforts of municipal, state, federal, and nonprofit housing
organizations in Portland, the small citys experience of a national affordable housing
crisis is comparable to that of major cities. The National Low Income Housing Coalition
report Out of Reach 2014 describes the statistical realities of housing, focusing
especially the conflicting demands for market-rate and affordable-housing in an
increasingly crowded urban America. Noting that demand for market-rate rentals is more
likely to encourage rapid, high-quality development through investor support, the report
states that the shrinking supply of subsidized rentals negatively affects both families and
the national economy.11 Given this disappearance of housing options for working-class
citizens, a way of legitimizing and expediting the search for a new home is necessary for
keeping them off the streets.
When it comes to finding a balance between the competing demands for luxury
condos and affordable family units, East Bayside is not without its triumphs. Though the
larger-scale motive seems to be attracting upwardly mobile young professionals to the
neighborhood, mixed-income developments like Unity Village and Avestas Pearl Place

10

Tougas, Alexander J. "Gateway to the Forest City? Portland, Maine's Bayside Neighborhood, 18662014." Honors Projects (2014).
11
Arnold, Althea, Sheila Crowly, and Elina Bravve. "Out of Reach 2014." In Out of Reach, 248: National
Low Income Housing Coalition, 2014.

have offered a partial solution to the issue of displacement. Rather than ignoring the
current residents of East Bayside and allowing every block to become inhospitable for
their income bracket, certain spaces manage to maintain diversity. Nevertheless, the
rhetoric of hasty renewal crops up in Keith Schneiders article about redeveloping
Bayside:
The question facing developers and the city, which adopted a Bayside
redevelopment plan in 1999, was this: Would people with means, particularly
college-educated professionals just getting started, be willing to settle in a
neighborhood known for its soup kitchen, shelters and transients?12
Clearly, this is another example of the developers (and the citys) interests privileging
wealthy newcomers over existing low-income residents. Fortunately, mixed-income
housing is still an attractive option for renters at this phase in the process of gentrifying
East Bayside.
Another reported instance of large-scale development, the infamous Midtown
condominiums (just across Franklin Street from East Bayside), does not include a mixedincome component. Portland Press-Herald coverage describes the debate around
Midtown its impact on Portlands livability, economy, and aestheticsand countless
editorials have offered the pros and cons of this development. Midtowns proposed
location is directly next to Whole Foods, which itself roused critiques from Portland
residents wary of rising rents and changing demographics. One opinion piece by Peter
Monro decries the development as elitist and destructive:
The road forward forks here, for the neighborhood and the city as a whole. The
tsunami of development on the horizon for Portlands peninsula will either
reshape this city in its own traditions as a livable and walkable set of mixed-

12

Schneider, Keith. "A Portland Community Forges a New Identity." New York Times, 2007.

income neighborhoods with good-paying jobs and family housing, or it will use
our livability as bait for a city hollowed out for tourists and the wealthy.13

Though Midtown developers Federated Cos. have conceded to lower the original 14-story
towers considerably, construction is set to begin in the near future. The notable precedent
set by this luxury development will indeed inform the fate of Portlands middle and lower
classes. Though proponents of the development argue that new luxury spaces will lower
rents in desirable vacated properties around town, many insist that a trickle-down system
of affordability is passive and impractical.14
Rising rents and lower income are seemingly on the horizon for many Portland
residents, not just those living in East Bayside. Changes are undoubtedly coming, but
having a simple visual tool can help busy individuals enjoy the process of adapting to
their increasingly inhospitable housing reality. Though not inspired by low-income
displacement, PadMapper simplified and visualized the housing search after founder Eric
DeMenthon underwent a hectic rental chase in New York City. Using Craigslist data,
PadMapper added additional filters to accommodate the complex human needs of its
users, like knowing the closest parking or estimated commute time from a given rental.15
Like PadMapper, a visualized solution for Portland should bring together several layers
of pertinent data to demystify and smooth the living transitions that many residents may
face in the near future.
Methods

13

Monro, Peter. "Maine Voices: Building a Megaplex Isnt the Way to Make Portlands Bayside
Neighborhood Better." Portland Press Herald, 2013.
14
Narefsky, Karen. "Trickle-Down Gentrification." Jacobin, 2014.
15
Miller, Tessa. "I'm Eric Dementhon, and This Is the Story Behind Padmapper." In Lifehacker, 2013.

In order to understand the means available to Portlands low-income renters, I

personally attempted to follow the necessary steps online to find a home that met sample
criteria. Being accustomed to the easy-to-use rental maps on Craigslist and Zillow, I was
struck by the many static, out-of-date listings for affordable units that I found across
several housing authority websites. Since there was occasional overlap between
availabilities listed on multiple sites, I attempted to consolidate larger-scale affordable
housing locations into a representative sample of varied housing projects in Portland.
Having mapped these sites, which are located all across Portland, I then retrieved median
household income data for the census tracts contained within Cumberland County.16
Mapping income by tracts, which roughly correspond with Portlands neighborhood
borders (officially defined by a City of Portland GIS shapefile), was an interesting way to
compare the distribution of affordable housing and its proximity to the citys lowestearning households.
To complement affordable housing and income data, I collected average rent data
from the US Census as well. I plotted the trends of income and rent between 2000 and
2010 in order to examine the economic climate and discover factors that may contribute
to the displacement of Portlands low-income populations. Using a simple line graph
based on the federal 1/3 rule of housing affordability, I compared the affordability of
housing and approximated the point in time when average yearly rent exceeded 1/3 of the
average yearly income.17

16

With the help of a .geojson file created by Hannah Rafkin 17

Arnold, Althea, Sheila Crowly, and Elina Bravve. "Out of Reach 2014." In Out of Reach, 248: National
Low Income Housing Coalition, 2014.
17

After collaborating with classmates to create datasets, I was able to map several

affordable housing locations in the contexts of neighborhood distribution and overlaid

with median household income (by census tract). With these maps, I sought to better
understand the distribution of affordable housing and its geographic proximity to lowincome hubs.

Findings

Findings (cont.)
Synthesizing this data in the form of maps and a graph yielded important visual
findings concerning housing affordability and the current state of Portland, Maine from
the perspective of the urban poor. Firstly, the plotting of a line graph to represent trends
in rent and income was a simple way to visualize the threshold of 1/3-income housing
affordability at the lines intersection. Additionally, the graph allowed for a better
conceptualization of the dollar ranges for both income and rent in Portland.

Mapping a sampling of affordable housing locations across Portland visually

highlighted the distribution of subsidized options across neighborhoods. With some
locations in East Bayside and many others located in seemingly disparate areas of the
city, this map yielded some unexpected findings. Adding the dimension of 2010 median
household yearly income provided visuals of affordable housing spaces both as solutions
to a localized problem and as an anomalies within a wealthier neighborhoods.

Reflections
The Portland Affordable Housing Map is a system that would ideally exist within
the greater context of a reformed Portland Housing Authority that better encompasses the
multiple entities that offer affordable housing. Interfacing with the service should be
intuitive for the user, and the no-frills Craigslist rental map view is a good model. This
user interface plots all rental listings as markers on a map, which expand with
photographs and important details on click or touch. Additionally, this system includes
highly specific filters that allow users to limit price range, number of bedrooms, and other
policy details (e.g. handicap occupancy, pets allowed, non-smoking, etc.). Perhaps most
importantly, this experience would personalize the hunt for affordable housing and

empower the user by creating a list of the users favorite listings that can be applied as a
custom map filter. With this feature, a Portland resident looking for a new affordable
home can see a concrete visualization of the citys offerings, imagining their new life in
each desired location until they finally decide on one.
Like any other resource, equal access is paramount to my solutions ability to
promote the common good. To ensure widespread use of this tool, the user experience
would be simple and readily available on several devices. Additionally, the all-important
issue of access would be addressed by making this webapp available on public computers
and iPad kiosks in spaces like the Portland Public Library and various resource centers.
Through a simple process of creating an account with a username, password, and
personal income information, users would be able to quickly sign on anywhere, and even
choose a new home during their lunch break. For people seeking homes who may not be
technologically conversant, this tool will be equally valuable in the Portland Housing
Authority office, where an employee can show them the map to facilitate their placement
process. In this way, the Portland Affordable Housing Map can help low-income renters
of all ages and backgrounds by streamlining and individualizing the search process.
The pragmatic and simple nature of this tool would complement an improved
housing placement system by placing the power in renters hands. The final step of
securing the rental, however, would be similar to the current system in that renters work
with a housing official to complete paperwork and vet eligibility before move-in is
possible. In this sense, the Portland Affordable Housing Map is simply an improvement
of efficiency and personalization within the existing housing system. In order to be
successful however, the disparate housing authorities that control the citys affordable
living spaces must share and consolidate data in a transparent and legible way.

The city would ultimately benefit from overhauling this divided housing system,

but increased collaboration across agencies is a better short-term goal. The municipal
government should consciously monitor market-rate and affordable housing data,
focusing especially on trends that make the city less hospitable for the working class.
Working to uphold the 1/3 rule of housing affordability would make Portland an
exemplary community for the urban poor, and thereby allow diversity to increase beyond
East Bayside instead of fragmenting its refugee, minority, and immigrant populations. By
examining and regulating the financially influenced processes of urban renewal and
gentrification more rigorously, Portland can evolve as a thriving, equitable, and livable
modern city.

Conclusion
Bayside, and the greater City of Portland, is experiencing financialization and
gentrification similar to many formerly undesirable areas of New York City. As shown
by Neil Smith, fallout occurs when neighborhoods like Loisaida begin to change hands,
most notably in the displacement of lower income populations to make way for marketrate development.18 In terms of zoning, Fields and Uffer clearly illustrate direct
conversions of subsidized housing into market-rate condominiums.19 This is happening
right now in Portland, and the citys ongoing struggles with homelessness, elder care,
refugee integration, and housing capacity will only become exacerbated by this trend if
smart solutions are not implemented. Many praise Portland for its Brooklyn in the 90s

18

Smith, Neil. Class Struggle on Avenue B: The Lower East Side as Wild Wild West. In The People,
Place, and Space Reader, edited by Jen Jack Gieseking, et al, New York: Routledge, 2014. 314-319.
19

Fields, Desiree, and Sabina Uffer. "The Financialisation of Rental Housing: A Comparative Analysis of
New York City and Berlin." Urban Studies (August 2013 2014): 17.

appeal, but the city needs to be wary of the coming steps that could mirror Brooklyns
trajectory towards unaffordability in the 21st century.
This smart solution would allow families to stabilize their living situation more
quickly and reliably, largely avoiding the burden of countless phone calls or timeconsuming trips to the Portland Housing Authority office. In tackling this emerging issue,
Portland needs a better system for utilizing housing resources to support its low-income
citizens.

Works Cited
"Portland, Maine." http://www.portlandmaine.gov/.
Arnold, Althea, Sheila Crowly, and Elina Bravve. "Out of Reach 2014." In Out of Reach, 248:
National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2014.
Bell, Tom. "Developer Agrees to Lower High-Rises in Portlands Midtown Project." Portland
Press Herald, October 21 2014.
Fields, Desiree, and Sabina Uffer. "The Financialisation of Rental Housing: A Comparative
Analysis of New York City and Berlin." Urban Studies (August 2013 2014): 17.
Greenfield, Adam. Against the Smart City. The City Is Here for You to Use. Do projects, 2014.
Hayden, Dolores. "Urban Landscape History: The Sense of Place and Politics of Space." In The
Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History, 14-43. Cambridge, MA: The MIT
Press, 1995.
Holt, Alan. "East Bayside: Creating a Sustainable Vision for Maines Most Diverse
Neighborhood," Sustainable Design Assessment Team, Portland, Maine2010.
Miller, Tessa. "I'm Eric Dementhon, and This Is the Story Behind Padmapper." In Lifehacker:
Gawker Network, 2013.
Monro, Peter. "Maine Voices: Building a Megaplex Isnt the Way to Make Portlands Bayside
Neighborhood Better." Portland Press Herald, 2013.
Narefsky, Karen. "Trickle-Down Gentrification." Jacobin, 2014.
Portland, City of. "A New Vision for Bayside." edited by City Council. Portland, ME, 2000.
. "Code of Ordinances." edited by Land Use, 677-81. Portland, ME, 2013.
Robbins, Christopher. "Nycha Selling a Stake of Its Apartments for Fast Cash." In Gothamist.
New York City, 2014.
Routhier, Ray. "Portland Excels at Making the List." Portland Press Herald, 2012.
Schneider, Keith. "A Portland Community Forges a New Identity." New York Times, 2007.
Tougas, Alexander J. "Gateway to the Forest City? Portland, Maine's Bayside Neighborhood,
1866-2014." Honors Projects (2014).
Townsend, Anthony M. Smart Cities. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013.
Weiss, Jonathan D. "Preface: Smart Growth and Affordable Housing." Journal of Affordable
Housing & Community Development Law Vol. 12, no. No. 2, Smart Growth and
Affordable Housing (2003): 165-72.