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Mackenzie Hothan
Portland UNST
February 8, 2015
Gentrification Research Paper
Introduction
Imagine growing up in one house for your entire childhood, a house that had been in the
family for generations, with endless memories and a strong place in your heart. The place where
you learned how to ride a bike in the driveway, and measured your height each year in the
kitchen doorway. Now, imagine your parents losing that house, being forced to move out because
they financially couldnt afford it anymore, and that home with so much importance being taken
away. This heartbreaking scenario is a common occurrence for many families across the nation,
especially in Portland, Oregon, being affected by gentrification. Based on my research, despite
there being some advantages to gentrification, it appears that gentrification is having a negative
effect on the city of Portland because it leads to displacement, which then is followed by a
decrease in affordable housing, a loss of diversity and character, and forces residents to leave
high opportunity neighborhoods, which all in combination outweigh the positives and make
gentrification more harmful than helpful.
For many years now, gentrification has been a very controversial topic with a variety of
definitions and explanations from different viewpoints. To some, it is simply a change in
demographics, real estate markets, land use, and culture and character (Grant). However, to
others it has a very specific definition that includes members of the middle and upper class
moving into an underdeveloped urban area and upgrading the housing and nearby buildings that

had once been occupied by lower income occupants (Aikman). This definition is more widely
accepted by people who oppose or do not completely disagree with gentrification, because
people who are for the process do not believe, or at least do not like to admit that it is negatively
affecting the original members of the now gentrified community. The two different viewpoints of
gentrification are generally the distinction between those who are involved in the gentrification
process and are benefiting from it in some way, and those who are being negatively impacted.
This creates a divide and increases tension between the two parties, and furthers the controversial
aspect of gentrification.
The process of gentrification starts with an area that has attractive qualities, but low
property values and prices. This generally is the urban/downtown areas because there is a
growing interest in being downtown and in the heart of the city. In Portland, it is the area east of
the river because it is relatively close to downtown, but has cheaper prices. Some of the specific
areas in danger of gentrification, as found by city planners, include the St Johns, Boise, Elliot,
and King neighborhoods (Griffin). One of the most important factors in the decision for an area
to begin being gentrified is the difference between the potential and the current values (Bates). If
this difference is substantial, it is considered to be a prime location because the return on
investing in one of these properties should be high. Since East Portland was known for being run
down, with higher levels of poverty and lower prices, this made it the perfect location. A buyer
could purchase properties, in the Boise neighborhood for instance, for extremely cheap, remodel,
and eventually get a large return.
Next, the community starts to get fixed up, such as cleaning up the sidewalks and parks,
upgrading and remodeling homes, building new apartment condos and houses, and opening new
shops, restaurants, and businesses. One of the major examples of this in Portland is Mississippi

Avenue, an area that used to be filled with poverty and crime, but now is known for its popular
food carts and quirky shops such as Bridge City Comics and The Meadow (a shop that sells salt
from all over the world). Following the remodel of the city, members of higher economic classes
begin to filter in to the area and move into the new apartments and the renovated homes. These
changes all add up to increased property values and higher costs of living in these once lowincome neighborhoods. Mississippi Avenue used to be an affordable area, but now a small 1
bedroom apartment starts at about $1,000 a month (Apartments). While this may be beneficial
for the early investors, a large amount of people are negatively affected by these rising numbers
because they can no longer afford their homes due to the rising property values.
While it is obvious that there are positives to gentrification, such as renovations and
rehabilitating worn down houses, parks, and buildings in a neighborhood, as well as bringing in
new job opportunities and better funding for the local schools, these are greatly outweighed by
the consequences. An example is that most of the time, the new job opportunities require higher
skill levels than the members of the old community have, so the jobs arent available to them.
This happened majorly in Portland when the Emmanuel hospital was built in the Albina district
of East Portland, an area that had lower-income residents. The residents of the area protested the
construction from the beginning because it destroyed many homes, but they were assured this
was a positive contribution to the area because it would bring in jobs. However, once the hospital
was finished, most of the positions were already filled by people who were not from the Albina
district, and the only job openings were for medically skilled positions (Oregon).
Another negative is that much of the previous local economic activity is pushed out and
can no longer survive in the newly renovated, more expensive area, so many jobs are actually
lost (Grant). East Portland has seen this time and time again with gentrification wiping out their

businesses and replacing them with new, unfamiliar ones. Members of the community are
convinced they will have more job openings and that it will help them, but they are not being
told the entire truth or reality of what will really happen with the new jobs. Meanwhile, the jobs
that they already have in local businesses are being taken away. Gentrification isnt helping
them, it is actually hurting them.
Continuing with the consequences, the most prominent problem for Portland that is
created by gentrification that will be discussed is displacement. This happens frequently in
Portland and throughout the rest of the United States. Although initially the original members of
a community enjoy a cleaned-up neighborhood, this only lasts until they are eventually pushed
out because of the higher prices (Roos). This is called displacement, when lower income
families are forced to leave areas they previously resided in (Aikman). Displacement is a
byproduct of gentrification and it seems to be an inevitable one, where there is gentrification,
displacement of lower class residents will follow.
Gentrification and Displacement
As mentioned before, displacement occurs when the original inhabitants of an area are
forced out because they no longer can afford the costs of living there due to the gentrification
process. Displacement is a real problem in Portland, and to show this there are certain indicators
from the 2000-2010 census, that include an Increase in median household income, increase in
population with a bachelors degree, change in percentage of renters, and decrease in percentage
nonwhite (Gentrification). A problem that occurs simultaneously with displacement includes a
loss of affordable housing and resources. Another issue is breaking down the feeling of
community and the community bonds, which is also referred to as the soul or ethnic diversity
of a neighborhood (Works). Lastly, there is a loss of living in a high opportunity area and the

resources that come with it (Griffin). All of these negative occurrences that happen because of
and simultaneously with displacement are why so many people see gentrification in a negative
way. It is unfair to people who once lived there to have to go through so much trouble, so that the
middle and upper class could have coffee shops, museums, and luxury condos.
Affordable Housing
Starting with the decline of affordable housing in gentrified areas, the affordable
housing gap in the Portland-Vancouver area is worse than the state average for extremely lowincome households, and only 17 out of every 100 housing units in the Portland/Vancouver area
is considered affordable (Wilson). These numbers are expected to decrease in the next five years,
which shows how prevalent the affordable housing problem really is in Portland. People of all
economic classes should have access to housing that fits their budget and income, but the city is
not currently meeting the demands for housing of lower-income families, as a result of the focus
on reinvesting in properties that can increase in value. Gentrification is taking over the low class
neighborhoods in Portland, wiping out affordable housing, and displacing its residents.
Affordable housing is commonly a crucial factor for the original inhabitants of the
gentrified neighborhoods because it usually was why they were living where they were in the
first place, and buying it out or remodeling it to the point where it is no longer affordable is what
then causes the displacement. Currently, a problem Portland is facing with its affordable housing
is that about 3,000 of its rentals are in danger of raising in price, because they are privatelyowned, and although the owners had contracts that required rents to be kept affordable to low
income households, it is only a matter of time before those contracts expire (Plan). The owners
will be able to increase rents dramatically, making it no longer accessible to the people living in

them. This is where the displacement starts, and once rents are too expensive, they will
involuntarily have to find other living arrangements.
Remodeling houses or apartments is not the only way prices increase, even just
remodeling the area around a neighborhood is a problem because it increases its values, and thus
it makes that area desirable. It doesnt have to be the specific houses or apartments being fixed
up to raise the rent on properties whose tenants cannot afford higher costs. This increase in price
happens simultaneously with resources, such as job opportunities, being cut like mentioned
earlier, and therefore these people renting out places no longer have the resources or help
necessary to stay where they were residing. This abrupt necessity to move may result in them
being forced to live in inadequate housing, which actually would have a negative economic
impact on our society as a whole (Griffin). These negative impacts could include a possible
increase in crime in the areas that the displaced residents are forced to move to. Inadequate
housing, and inequality is a risk factor for aggression and violence against the higher class
people who came into the neighborhoods and impacted their ability to stay in their housing
(OSullivan).
Losing Diversity and Character
The most unfortunate loss when it comes to displacement from gentrification is the loss
of a community, ethnic diversity, and character. Before any area is gentrified, it has usually had a
long history of culture and closeness. Even if the areas are flawed, sometimes even dangerous,
the people who live there still can have pride in their place and that can be torn apart when
important places and locations are changed or torn down to build new developments for a new
population of people. Also, the majority of the middle and upper class that moves into the areas
are white. In the Oregonian, it discusses that according to the 2010 census, 38 counties in

Portland became whiter, and that this is not only because more Caucasians moved into the
area, but also because about 10,000 African Americans moved out (Jones). This increase in one
specific race, here being Caucasians, can be a negative impact if the original community was
made up of racially diverse people because they are who will be displaced and pushed out of the
neighborhood, decreasing the diversity and losing the sense of family and closeness that once
existed. Many Portland neighborhoods have lost this soul, but Portland is only one of the many
areas that are affected by gentrification in this way. Communities all over the United States are
changed and lost because of the process, and these social and emotional bonds being broken
negatively impact the people who grew up there and knew the place before it was gentrified.
One example of a loss of a sense of place because of gentrification in an area outside of
Portland is the story of Naima Coster, who wrote the article When Brooklyn Was Mine. She is an
African American woman who grew up in a part of Brooklyn called Fort Green in the 1980s1990s. When she was young and lived there, she felt that Fort Green was mine (Coster). She
had a sense of possessiveness over the place because it was where her and her parents had grown
up. It was a dangerous area, and she recalls many times of fear and dangerous situations while
living there, but it was her home and she appreciated it the way it was. However, within the last
10 years, that area has been gentrified and is no longer the place she used to know, to her, it is not
even the same community whatsoever anymore and she feels remorse for loss of the place and
the diversity that used to exist where she used to call home (Coster). This is a common story for
many people in Portland neighborhoods that are experiencing the same feelings, of returning to
the place they grew up and no longer recognizing it. Some believe the changes that happen are
for the better, but others just see it as a loss of history and community.

In Portland, there are many stories that show the negative effects of gentrification and
displacement as well. A widely known gentrified area in Portland is the Albina district, in East
Portland. The Albina district has a long history of its residents being crowed into one area,
experiencing neighborhood disinvestment and discrimination, and having many issues owning
and purchasing homes. Disinvestment is the systematic withdrawal of capital (the lifeblood of
the housing market) and the neglect of public services such as schools; building, street, and park
maintenance; garbage collection; and transportation (Gibson). This happened majorly in the
community of Albina and made it a run down, and undesirable area for whites. Since the 1940s,
more than half of its population was made up of African Americans (Gibson), making them feel
as if Albina was their district, their community. However, starting in the late 1980s-1990s,
gentrification began to filter in to the Albina district and it has never been the same since. One of
the early controversies was the destroying of the center of the black community which once had
Blessed Martin Day Nursery, Chat and Chew Restaurant, and many more businesses that were
highly regarded and important to the community that lived there. These were taken out to build a
new hospital (which was mentioned earlier), which was supposed to bring in new jobs to the
area, but ended up failing to follow through with that promise (Gibson). African Americans had
been forced to move to this part of Portland and endure its disinvestment issues and
consequences, and despite the problems, they made it their own. They deserved to have a say in
what happened to the area, and should have been able to fight the destruction of their town center
that was important to them. In a short amount of time, the history and culture that meant so much
to the people that first lived in the Albina district was no longer even in existence, it had been
wiped out because someone with more money decided to do so. It was the beginning of a fight

and challenge that today, the African Americans in the district are still fighting, and unfortunately
losing.
Following the development of the hospital and the influx in whites moving into the area,
African Americans were displaced further East and North East into the King, Boise, and
Humboldt districts where they made up 90% of the population (Gibson). The process of being
pushed further and further out because of gentrification has continued, and at the turn of the
century, less than one third of black Portlanders called Albina home(Gibson). The culture,
history, and character of Albina has been lost, and replaced by hipster stores and modern
apartments. Its a disappointing loss of a neighborhood and its residents. A resident of the Boise
neighborhood expresses his disappointment and realization that the gentrification is not stopping,
and that the displacement of black will continue. In this quote, it really shows how hard the
transition and fight has been for the African American community. I am hurt, to the core. But
Im not mad. My hurt made me recognize the problems we had 40 years ago, still exist. We
thought we had achieved, we thought we had bridged that. Little did we know- look at us today.
We have to go back and start all over again (Gibson). After being pushed further and further out,
residents believed they finally were at a place where they could start over again and rebuild their
culture, but with the continuous spreading of the gentrification further east, they realized that
they might be experiencing that displacement all over again. If this process continues to happen
and continues to destroy the African American and other ethnicities culture in the places being
gentrified, it will confirm the belief that Portland really is not as diverse and full of culture as it
claims to be. It will continue to deprive itself of what little variety it has left, and will also further
its racist stereotype which is an unfortunate label for a city have.

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While the story of the Albina district is a broader example of displacement in Portland,
there are specific examples as well that successfully illustrate the displacement caused by
gentrification. One is the story of Helen Murray, who is an elderly resident of North East
Portland. She and her husband, and their extremely large family have lived in their home for the
last 33 years, but are now facing a foreclosure and the possibility of losing their house (Turley).
They are currently the last African American family in their neighborhood, but when they first
moved in, more than half of it was African American, and they were very close and had friendly
gatherings, such as neighborhood barbeques (Turley). Helens husband became disabled in 1986
which left him unable to work, and meanwhile the rising prices of their neighborhood and
personal expenses because of the gentrification ended up leaving them with increasing debt. This
forced them to take out a second mortgage on their house and they were unable to pay their bills.
They are now facing displacement because of the gentrification happening in that area, and may
be pushed out just like the rest of their neighbors have been in the time theyve lived there.
Low-income households, the elderly and people with disabilities and the most at risk for losing
their homes due to displacement during this time of gentrification (Turley). This is evident with
instances such as this one, where this house that has been theirs for so long is at immediate risk
to be taken from this elderly couple who has a history of disability. It is also another example of
losing that sense of community through the gentrification process, seeing how the African
American families have all been forced to move away from the area, making it no longer a closeknit neighborhood.
Leaving High Opportunity Areas
As mentioned earlier, gentrification does have some positive effects such as better
schools and increasing the quality of services and businesses. However, displacement means that

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the people who lived in these areas first, and are then out priced and forced to leave, do not get to
appreciate these positive contributions to the area, resulting in a loss of living in the new and
improved high opportunity community. Many people that are pro-gentrification argue that it is
mostly a positive thing because of the improvements it makes, but it cancels out the good when
the low income residents dont even get to be exposed to what is positive about the process. This
is where the main problem lies, the displacement that happens to old residents, and the unfair
advantages that the new people that come with the gentrification process have access to that were
previously unavailable.
One improvement that happens with the gentrification process is the improvement of the
schools or a development of new schools in the surrounding areas. Although it is not completely
clear what the exact reason for the improvement of the schools is, whether it is the influx of
higher class and income residents, which are known to be linked with higher test scores (Butler)
or if it is the influx of money in the area, to increase funding for the schools resources, Portland
schools have seen positive overall improvements in areas such as the test scores and graduation
rates in neighborhoods that have been gentrified, such as Harrison Park School (Parks). This
school was one of the citys poorest schools, but in recent years has shown positive progress.
The problem is not the bettering of local schools, it is that most of the time the low
income residents whose children once attended those schools are the ones who are faced with
displacement, and have to move to areas away from their original neighborhood, which
sometimes is far enough away for the children to be moving to a different school district. This
means the schools progress, in this case it could be Harrison Park School, will not be enjoyed by
the kids who have been displaced, and they will likely end up in another low income school that
may not offer the best education. This is an unfair occurrence that should not be happening, but

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does frequently because gentrification does not have a solution for the displacement that takes
children away from these advancing schools and out of these high opportunity neighborhoods.
This is negatively affecting Portland because all children should have access to equally beneficial
education to one day be fully functioning members of Portlands society, and a decent education
is where children begin to build character and important life skills.
Services and businesses are another piece of making a neighborhood a desirable place
that residents being displaced do not want to leave, but have to for financial reasons. An example
of this in Portland is the story of an African American man from Alberta named Bradford, who
drives more than 50 miles every Sunday to pick up members of his church that have been
displaced far enough away that they do not have the ability to get to the church because of age,
disability, or finances(Griffin). These people who have all been victims of displacement would
have no way to attend their church if it werent for this man, and this just shows the extreme and
unfair lengths that people are forced to go to in order to appreciate the positive services of a
gentrified area that they no longer get to reside in.
New services and businesses make up high opportunity areas as well, such as new
restaurants, retail, and grocery stores. These are all services that are brought into an area with
gentrification that displaced residents do not see. Going further into detail on the grocery store
topic, they are one of the main services brought to an area, especially in Portland because
Portland has been known to have many food desserts, so it is usually a first priority in
neighborhoods that were originally low income. At first, if lower income residents are not
displaced right away, they must deal with food mirages. This means that there are plenty of
grocery stores, but the prices are too high for them to afford the food (Breyer). However, when
those residents in Portland districts like Albina are eventually displaced, they usually move

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further East or North into a neighborhood that still is mostly low income, and lose that proximity
to grocery stores, which is a negative thing even though the stores were expensive. According to
Breyer, who analyzed Portland and its residents access to low cost grocery stores, the average
Portland residents must travel an additional 1.9 miles (3.1 km) to reach the nearest low-cost
grocery store (Breyer). The difficulties for finding affordable food could be detrimental to
Portland and its citizens, because people should have access to affordable food within a
reasonable distance, but once again gentrifications negative outcome of displacement takes this
opportunity from Portlanders.
In conclusion, it is obvious how much of a negative effect the process of gentrification is
having on the city of Portland, due to the displacement that follows. This displacement is the
biggest problem that comes out of the process, because it leads to its own problems, such as a
lack of affordable housing, losing the character of diverse neighborhoods, and residents being
forced to leave new and upcoming neighborhoods that could have given them better
opportunities. If this process continues to happen, which it is extremely likely that it will, these
consequences will grow, the negative impacts will increase, and they will be more prevalent and
noticeable as time goes on. The city of Portland needs to develop a plan to address these
problems, like making affordable housing more available in gentrifying areas to stop
displacement in the first place, but also to try and preserve the culture of neighborhoods that are
being majorly redeveloped and improved before diversity and community is lost. The way that
gentrification has negatively affected Portland is unfortunate, but not completely irreversible or
unstoppable. It just needs to start with awareness of its negative outcomes, and be followed by
well-planned and thoroughly thought out action.