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They're tacky, oversized, and impossible to afford. They're popping up across the city as fast as developers can build them, ruining neighborhoods.
We are, of course, talking about single-family bungalows. Or we were 100 years ago.
The Atlantic published a piece in late September that serves as eye-opening commentary on Portland's apartment-building spree and the protests of house demolitions.
The magazine looks north to Seattle for its case study, and notes that the bungalows now being torn down were initially about as unpopular as the apartments now replacing them.
Other complaints from 1912: The bungalows ruined neighborhood character, were out of most people's price range, and dwarfed existing homes.
The Atlantic says the bungalow era offers several valuable lessons, including: "American cities have an impressive history of growing to accommodate new arrivals."
The whole piece is worth reading. For Portland context, try here and here.
Willamette Week