Boston Globe: Moving In, Moving Out

July 7, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/articles/2008/07/06/moving_in_moving_out/

The Boston Globe published an article about Chinatown, “Moving in, moving out” on July 6, 2008 by Victoria Cheng. Overall, the article touches on a really good topic but like most newspaper stories, the article leaves the reader asking more questions.

Boston Globe Excerpt:
Karen Chen, a paralegal with Greater Boston Legal Services, worked with a number of families that were priced out of their apartments above the Chau Chow City Restaurant on Essex Street after the Hamilton Co. bought the building in 2003… “The units used to have families and newer immigrants who paid between $700 and $900 in rent,” she said. “After Hamilton bought the building, rent went up to between $1,500 and $2,000.” The legal services group and the families were unable to negotiate lower rents, Chen said… Facing the higher rents, many residents prefer to move out as quickly as possible. One woman Chen contacted about being displaced from the Essex Street housing units expressed reluctance to tell her story publicly. “She felt that it’s over, she’s in public housing now, even though it’s not in Chinatown, and there’s nothing she can do about it,” Chen said.

The Chinatown Blogger has been researching Census data from 1990 to 2000 and the trend will support this argument — that Chinatown is seeing a decline in the percentage of Chinatown residents of Asian-descent from about 90% in 1990 to about 80% in 2000, a 10% loss per decade. If the trend continues, in the next Census 2010 we will most likely see residents of Asian-descent constitute only 60-70% range, and even possibly in the 50% range.

There are several reasons for the decline: 1) As Karen Chen pointed out in the Globe article, non-subsidized housing units in Chinatown are pricing out the working-class; 2) New construction of luxury housing since 2000 have added about 50% to Chinatown’s existing housing stock and bringing in more diverse residents economically and racially; 3) A smaller reason for the decline in Asian population is the high number of renters in the community (homeownership in Chinatown is less than 10%) and renters are more likely to move than homeowners.  

Boston Globe Excerpt:
“I think the fear that a lot of activists have is that Chinatown in Boston will become like Chinatown in D.C.,” said Chinese Progressive Association member Amy Leung… “There’s a fear it will become a playground for yuppies, with just Chinese restaurants but no Chinese residents with the culture and the fabric of the community.”

After reading the Globe article, the Blogger was left with more questions. The article is flawed because the writer has a certain perspective on the development issue. What the Globe writer didn’t do was include interviews of proponents of luxury developments and the “yuppies” that do move into Chinatown.

As the Blogger has learned over the years, Chinatown does not have a monotonous voice when it comes to development — issues cannot be seen as either black or white. For every person that is trying to stop gentrification, there is someone else who is advocating for gentrifying Chinatown.. and both sides have valid arguments.

The Chinatown Blogger’s opinion?

The facts are: historically, Chinatown has always been a home to many different groups. Before the Chinese, there were Irish, Italian and Syrians (some still remaining). New residents of different racial and economic strata are moving into Chinatown now and will continue to do so in the future. Let’s figure out a way to incorporate the new residents (whether they are yuppies or not and the Blogger doesn’t really care because a person should not be judged solely by economic status) to build a more livable Chinatown.

What are your thoughts?

Posted in WORD ON THE STREET | Print | 2 Comments »