Invasion-Succession or Welcome Mat: Examining Race and Ownership Status in Low-Income Neighborhoods

Daniel Sullivan, Principal Investigator
dsulliva@pdx.edu
503-725-3954

Sponsor: The National Science Foundation

Gentrification, the process of wealthier residents moving into a poorer neighborhood in sufficient numbers to transform its social identity, is a major trend in many U.S. cities. Often gentrification is characterized by whites moving into predominantly black neighborhoods, resulting – at least for a time – in racially diverse neighborhoods. The main objective of this project is to examine neighborhood racial diversity by looking at how long-time residents react to gentrification, both in terms of whether they stay in their neighborhood (resulting in stable racial integration) and whether they socially interact with and participate in the same neighborhood organizations as newcomers (resulting in genuine social integration). The central hypotheses are that the following types of long-time residents are more likely to stay in the neighborhood and socially integrate with newcomers: (1) whites, as compared to blacks, and (2) homeowners, as compared to renters.

To evaluate these hypotheses, the investigator will conduct 80 interviews in two racially diverse, gentrifying neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon. These interviews complement a survey of 658 residents that was recently conducted. Interviewees will be selected from a list of survey respondents. All will have lived in their neighborhood since before gentrification began, and they will fall under one of four categories: black homeowners, white homeowners, black renters, and white renters. Interviewer and interviewee will be matched based on race.

In terms of its theoretical contribution, it is unclear whether long-time residents’ reactions to newcomers will be based more on cultural characteristics or on economic interests. Researchers who emphasize the importance of culture argue that differences in racial identity and education create cleavages among residents, making it difficult to achieve racial stability and social integration. However, researchers who emphasize the importance of economics argue that homeowners benefit financially from gentrification and therefore, regardless of cultural differences, would be more accepting of neighborhood changes and be more socially integrated with newcomers than would renters. This project is also innovative methodologically in that, unlike most research projects that rely solely upon either survey data or interview data to examine race relations and neighborhood change, it will use (1) survey data and probability sampling to ensure the findings are generalizable, and (2) in-depth follow-up interviews to achieve high validity.

Many Americans are pessimistic about the coexistence of whites and blacks. To some degree this pessimism is the result of a lack of knowledge regarding inter-racial “contact situations” that, on a daily basis, offer a fertile ground for the emergence of a new, non-racial, U.S. culture. The broader impacts of this study of integrated neighborhoods will generate a greater understanding of pathways out of this great American dilemma, including understanding whether homeownership facilitates stable racial integration and inter-racial social integration.