MAINTAINING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN PORTLAND

These scenes from a barrio on the hills above Caracas, Venezuela, are examples of what affordable housing looks like in the absense of urban planning or a compassionate government. While the current Venezuelan government under Hugo Chavez is trying to deal with the slum conditions it inherited from previous less egalitatian administrations, under the best of circumstances it will take decades to replace these types of improvised neighborhoods with decent and affordable housing for all Venezuelans. These are constructive images for North Americans to keep in mind as we watch so many of our cities become unaffordable for working people.