A potentially groundbreaking study could help get a feel for what priorities the region's consumers really have when seeking the home they want.
Launched as part of Metro's urban growth report, the survey of 800 regional residents, plus another panel of Opt In participants, could shed light on the trade-offs consumers are willing to make to live in the type of neighborhood they desire.
It's being conducted in conjunction with the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, which contributed $20,000 toward the survey's $69,000 cost. Six other partners, from the public and private sectors, signed on to support the research.
"We know about real choices. We know where people live now," said John Williams, deputy director of Metro's planning department. "What we're trying to get here is, how do they make those decisions?"
Past research into the work has had a critical flaw, said Dave Nielsen, CEO of the local Home Builders Association. Without forcing some specific scenarios on survey-takers, people could say simultaneously say they wanted an urban lifestyle, prefer to live on a 5-acre lot and desire to commute less than 15 minutes to work.
"This doesn't allow you to do that," Nielsen said. "It forces you to make choices and find out where people's tipping points are, in terms of commute times, urban environments, less busy environments, and if they want this kind of stuff."
The survey, which will be conducted exclusively online, features illustrations of what some types of housing look like, to try and make it clear to participants the difference between a single-family home, a townhome, an apartment or other types of living.
The 800-participant "managed panel" will be equally split between residents of Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties, and will be a statistically valid sample of the region's residents. The survey's results, expected in late July, will be analyzed by DHM Research.
The local association received a grant from the National Association of Home Builders to support the research.
Other financial supporters included NW Natural, the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors and the governments of Clackamas County, Washington County, Portland and Hillsboro.