7 Gentrification
In the 1980s in many places in the country, and in the 1990s in Portland, gentrification occurred in areas of town where people of color had historically been segregated. The very same areas that had experienced racial disdisinvestment for decades. were now receiving incentives to move into the area. This created a surge in property values. Mostly middle class whites benefited because they qualified for home loans. As the property values increased, the community members who rented property were now no longer able to afford to stay in the neighborhood. This is why gentrification is also known as population displacement. Low income racial minorities are forced to move (in Portland, primarily to outer Southeast).
Please view the film below and reflect upon the meaning of gentrification to the people highlighted in the film.
How might gentrification have impacted the racial demographics of your census tract?
