1.0 Project Book_Valdez, Leaver, Moore

Project Description

This project aims to visualize gentrification in Portland’s historically Black neighborhood, Albina. Urban renewal and blight removal projects have driven development across the neighborhood ultimately displacing Albina’s Black residents and business owners. The rapid gentrification of Albina threatens complete historical and cultural erasure in the built environment and with it, the loss of rich informal third places. 

Front porches, vacant lots, food production sites, multi-use homes and businesses, corner stores/bodegas, barber shops/salons, and event sites are informal third places that were embraced by Albina’s Black residents in order to adapt to systemic disinvestment by the City of Portland. This project will document the loss of Albina’s informal third places from the year 2010 in order to preserve the memory of the neighborhood’s history and it’s Black residents’ resilience.

Team Organization

Infographics/Sources

*From Rebuilding Cornerstones Terminal Seminar
Craig Wilkins, Cleo and Kayin Davis

*Residential and commercial demolitions in 2010-20
portlandmaps.com