Portland hosts national summit on Accessory Dwelling Units

Participants will discuss ways to use ADUs to promote affordable housing, environmental sustainability and to counter displacement

Portland will host what's being billed as the first nationwide summit to explore new ideas in the Accessory Dwelling Unit field.

ADUs are generally small units built on empty space in peoples' yards or conversions of garages, basements and attics inside homes.

Speakers and participants from around the nation will discuss how ADUs can offer more affordable housing, promote living sustainably and fight displacement, among other topics.

Speakers will share success stories from Portland — the national leader in ADU development — as well as Washington D.C., Austin, Texas, Santa Cruz, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Build Small, Live Large Summit takes place November 3 to 5, at Portland State University's Smith Memorial Student Union.

The main summit occurs Friday, when there will be presentations and networking about designing, building, legalizing, marketing and financing ADUs.

On Saturday, there will be a tour of local tiny house villages, and a tour of ADU in Northeast Portland.

On Sunday, there will be a class on ADU financing and a five-hour workshop on building an ADU.

The summit is being convened by the Build Small Coalition, with sponsorship from the Portland State University Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Metro, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

To register or find out more: buildsmall-livelarge.com

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@SteveLaw/Trib

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