ANOTHER HOUSING CRISIS: Reclaiming Black Identity in the Albina District of Portland

Abstract

This thesis aims to address the connections between racial tensions and the gentrification of the Albina district, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, and the inaccessible housing stock and lack of social infrastructure within the city, leading to the displacement of black residents. Portland is known widely as a state that has fostered social turmoil and tensions between the two racial groups. Sadly, racism has been entrenched in Oregon’s history for nearly two centuries, maybe more than any state in the north. In more recent times, the city has repeatedly undertaken “urban renewal” projects that discriminated against the small Black community that existed here. In tracking this problem, this thesis examines the history of the Black community in Albina by looking at the correlation between planning and upward mobility. In addition, this document studies the current conditions of three neighborhoods within Albina, and proposes policy measures and a design implementation to set a framework for residents and community leaders to use as a tool for the equitable development of Portland’s Black Community.