From Survival to Revival: Designing a Cultural Center for Seattle’s Chinatown-International District

Abstract

This thesis explores how a cultural center can serve as a catalyst for revitalizing cultural heritage neighborhoods such as Chinatowns, which have declined through decades of displacement, exclusion, and erasure. Rooted in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID), the project explores the role of architecture as a means to rekindle a sense of belonging and continuity by bridging people, culture, and city. Chinatowns are disappearing across the United States. Historically, Chinatowns emerged as gateways for Asian immigrants, providing spaces of refuge and economic opportunities amidst systemic discrimination in America. Over decades, Chinatowns became resilient through resisting urban renewal projects imposed by local authorities. Yet as immigrant populations dispersed across ethnoburbs, the urban fabric and cultural vitality of these original enclaves eroded from within, reflecting the broader trends of how neighborhoods that were once important cultural anchors are receding into the American landscape. Today, Sound Transit’s planned expansion of the Link light rail network and construction of new transit hubs have once again forced Seattle’s Chinatown-International District to balance cultural preservation with urban growth. By thoughtfully leveraging the proposed CID Link light rail station, this thesis argues that a new cultural center can strengthen and preserve the continuity of Chinese American culture, while simultaneously bolstering the community's economy by integrating it with the planned light rail expansion. The community is often overlooked despite its crucial role in the city’s history and its richness of food, culture, and community, which contribute to the diversity of the nation. Through mapping, archival research, and storytelling, this thesis investigates how architecture operates as a threshold between people, culture, and city, and proposes a model for renewing Chinatowns across North America as well as other marginalized ethnic enclaves. This thesis envisions Seattle’s Chinatown-International District as a culturally vibrant neighborhood inspiring a broader national movement to recognize Chinatowns as key chapters in the American story.