Researcher(s):
Jesse Simpson
ENVS course(s): 499 Initiated: January 2016 Completed: May 2016 Go to project site
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Background: Gentrification is one of the foremost issues facing cities today, and Portland in particular. The last twenty years have seen the transformation of vast swathes of inner Portland into landscapes for the urban gentry. Transit is frequently colloquially linked to this geography of gentrification, with streetcars essentially justified as a development tool and the frequent transit network being the locus of neighborhood appreciation. At the same time, transit is vital for the mobility of people without a car, who are frequently poorer than the overall population. This raises a potential contradiction in equity—those who benefit from transit those most may be displaced by its provision within a hot housing market.
Question: How does transit influence the landscape of gentrification in Portland?
Methodology:
GIS-based investigation of gentrification & transit in Portland, using socioeconomic census indicators and land value to assess the landscape of gentrification and its relation to transit
Statistical analysis of the correlation between proximity to transit and gentrification
Interrogation of City of Portland planning documents, zoning, and urban renewal policies and history, connected to extant theories of gentrification
Field experience volunteering for and observing the meetings of OPAL, the local bus riders’ union
Findings: Transit's contribution to gentrification is multifaceted—I found a statistically significant relationship between transit and land value and land value appreciation, but transit also indicates a streetcar suburb form and provides key justification for densification and reallocation of land to its "best use” through smart-growth revitalization plans. This relationship is mediated, however, by the underlying historical geography of Portland’s neighborhoods, with the postwar suburbs of East Portland seeing relative depreciation thus far, even in areas with transit access that have been designated as renewal zones.