In many ways, Vancouver’s Fourth Plain district tells the story of American cities. Now, as city and neighborhood leaders work to enhance the economic and cultural vibrancy of the area, that story includes fears of gentrification.
It is a fascinating tale, one that speaks to both the past and the future of American cities. And the complex process has led the Clark County Historical Museum to develop a virtual exhibit of Fourth Plain’s history.
“We can use (history) to show the through line of government neglect . . . and ensure that the community has tools in their arsenal to fight against this continued displacement and say our community matters, our community is important,” historian Katie Bush said.
Gentrification is the boon and the bane of a revitalized neighborhood. The simplistic explanation:
Developers and city planners see potential in a long-ignored part of a city and begin to invest, constructing new buildings and renovating old ones. That brings shiny new buildings to an area, and it attracts maybe a Starbucks and a Trader Joe’s and a fancy brewpub — providing competition for the longtime locally owned coffee shop, grocery store and corner bar. With the area suddenly becoming desirable, property leases for those traditional businesses become more expensive.
Then nearby housing costs increase, with rents and home prices going up. While homeowners have increased equity, they might not be able to afford the taxes that come with increased property values and they might not be able to resist the temptation of selling while the market is hot.
In many cities, this has led to the displacement of communities of color, people who for generations were limited in their ability to accumulate wealth. For example, Portland had redlining policies that prohibited Black residents from purchasing homes in certain neighborhoods; for another example, the World War II-era G.I. Bill largely locked out people of color. That bill was essential for creating the American middle class – a white middle class by design.
As Portland enjoyed extraordinary growth in the early part of this century and several older neighborhoods were rejuvenated, locals often could no longer afford housing. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition, using U.S. Census data, reports that 13 percent of the city’s Black community was displaced in the course of a decade.
“Take a group of people who have been systematically denied wealth-building opportunities for generations, add low, stagnating incomes, throw in a subprime mortgage disaster, spiraling housing costs and wholesale community displacement, and you have a recipe for a severe economic backslide,” Cheryl Chandler-Roberts, executive director of Portland’s African American Alliance for Homeownership, said in 2017.
That history is pertinent as the Fourth Plain corridor – rebranded with the more-inviting moniker “International District” – sees the beginning of a resurgence. As a recent article from Columbian reporter Lauren Ellenbecker explains: “To combat systemic marginalization, the city of Vancouver and community partners set forth to create a plan that would spotlight minority-owned businesses and upgrade infrastructure.”
Some drawbacks to those efforts are inevitable; increasing property values are destined to price some people out of the market.
But retaining the character of the Fourth Plain district will require attention from city officials, ensuring that the area is affordable to the people who have created that character and nurtured small businesses in the area.
