BJ, your suggestion that low income residents of Portland do not understand their own needs and desires perplexes me.  It is a bit snobby- as if the poor need middle class whites to tell them what they should want. And, for blacks and latinos, home ownership[ is pretty much their only chance for a nest egg.  Unless they are union they don't really get the jobs with stock options and generous 401k matches.  The fact that redlining once existed doesn't make the handful of black residents around Alberta less attached to their homes.

You are struggling with he fact that the working class folks in Portland do not want to live the New Urbanist dream.  Look at the big study Metro did to gauge housing preferences. 

Finally, I note you put a lot of trust in the people who own large apartment complexes to not exploit the inherent vulnerability that comes with being a renter.  The SFH gives people autonomy.  Yes, housing prices can drop, but so can any other investment.  Take my 401k- please...