The City has invested $207 million since 2000 in the eastside neighborhood of Lents to improve the economy, housing, and infrastructure.
Lents was — and still is — home to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. The percentages of people of color, immigrants, and those with lower incomes are higher in Lents than citywide.
Prosper Portland and the Housing Bureau manage the City‘s investments in Lents. This audit is based on data gathered and assessed by the Auditor’s Office and external analysts to determine to what extent the City’s ambitious goals for Lents were achieved. Results were mixed.
Prosper Portland‘s management suggested that progress should be measured based on projects planned and completed. We agree this is important. But it is also important to evaluate the results of those projects on the community — has poverty declined? Is housing more affordable?
The Housing Bureau has regularly reported on new housing units and analyzed affordability for an area approximating Lents. But Prosper Portland reported primarily on key projects and created forward-looking plans, rather than comprehensively assessing and reporting how its investments have changed the Lents economy.
If the City does not measure progress toward urban renewal goals and results, it cannot make mid-course adjustments strategically.
We compared the Lents data to those for a nearby neighborhood that did not receive urban renewal investment and the city as a whole. The comparison area includes parts of the Montavilla and Mount Tabor neighborhoods. The comparison area was similar to Lents in demographics and jobs in 2000.