Dan Gilk — Candidate for City Council, District 3

Campaign site

Endorsed: Shade Equity Platform

Candidate statement:

As an urbanist and YIMBY, I believe that the most foundational policy impacting environmental justice, sustainability, affordability, and livability is the city’s history of exclusionary single family zoning. If the city ever hopes to fundamentally address these issues we must first address our land-use policies that embrace low-density living. Living in a dense, sustainable city is the most effective way for any individual to reduce their carbon footprint and also offers many other social and economic benefits.

Public transit is most effective along dense corridors. Small business thrives along dense, walkable streets. Building vertically allows more room for outdoor spaces, parks, and trees. Core infrastructure (like roads, water, sewers, and power) is cheaper to supply to centralized locations. More people can live near economic opportunities in dense neighborhoods. In short: density drives most of the prosocial and sustainable behaviors we want to encourage in our city.

So how do we get there? I look to successful legislation like the Residential Infill Project (RIP) as a model for enabling gradual change across the entire city. I propose a new blanket zoning policy I’m calling One-More-Floor Zoning (see more detail at danforportland.com) that would enable dynamic and meaningful density increases across the city while also respecting the small-town charm of our quiet neighborhoods. I want the city to get to a place where we can all grow together in a healthy and dynamic way without resorting to political battles over upzoning targeted neighborhoods. In the long-term, we need to revisit our property tax code and replace it with a land value tax to promote a more equitable tax burden that incentivizes better land use.

As we develop a system that allows the city to develop vertically in a dynamic and sustainable way, we must continue to develop our supporting infrastructure alongside it. This includes improved bus service with dedicated lanes and signal priority, improved/dedicated bike paths, and a commitment to growing and protecting our shared public spaces.

Will you ensure the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) remains climate-focused in line with what voters intended?

Yes