01/16/2026
Do Record Housing Approvals Show IZ Is Working?
Portland approved more housing units in 2025 than any year on record, which is often cited as evidence that the city’s expanded Inclusionary Zoning policy is working. But just because a project was approved after 2020 doesn’t mean that it was subject to the expanded Inclusionary Zoning policy or that it will be built at all. Most of the projects approved after 2020 were either subject to an older policy, subsidized, on hold, or cancelled. We went project by project to see what these numbers really mean.
Portland approved more housing units in 2025 than any year on record, which is often cited as evidence that the city’s expanded Inclusionary Zoning policy is working. But just because a project was approved after 2020 doesn’t mean that it was subject to the expanded Inclusionary Zoning policy or...
