Gentrification, Integration or Displacement?

Seattle U's own Henry W. McGee offers his perspective on changes in the Central District: read it here. The article is from a few years ago, but McGee's take offers valuable history and some snazzy statistics.

In 1990, there were three times as many African Americans than whites in the CD. By 2000, whites outnumbered African Americans. McGee also observes that households making more than $50,000 dramatically increased during this time.

He cites this data to argue that while the color of the CD is changing, the shifts are more about class than race. Increasingly, urban areas such as the CD are becoming home to the very well-off and the very poor. We are in the midst of a middle class decline.

Yet, race is still intimately involved in real estate. Despite the anti-discrimination housing legislation that Washington State passed in 1977, African Americans are still 2.56 times more likely to to be denied a mortgage than their white peers in Seattle. They are also more likely to pay higher rates for loans.

Which begs the question: are African Americans getting "priced out" of the CD because of discriminatory practices? Or is that many simply can't afford to live in the neighborhood and have chosen to live elsewhere?

-Kirsten

Why This Blog Matters

Historically, the Central District (CD) has been the residential and cultural center for the black community in Seattle. For over 100 years, African Americans have resided in the neighborhood. It is the birthplace of Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jackson Street jazz scene. In recent years however, many African Americans have moved out of the neighborhood. Moving in, has been an influx of white people.

Our aim is to explore the following questions: Why are white people moving into the CD? Why are black residents leaving? Where are they going? How does this relate to racial housing segregation? Was the CD considered segregated when it was mostly black? Is segregation over in the CD? Or is it just changing color?

Are the neighborhoods that Seattle African Americans currently living in segregated? Is the CD still the cultural center of the black community in Seattle, despite these shifts? And finally - is it requisite to have a geographical center for the black community in Seattle?

It is our hope that this blog will shed a better understanding on this topic. We look forward to having you along for the ride!

-Kirsten and Sabeen