On the Racial Complications of Gentrification in Portland

Anna Griffin, reporting for the Oregonian, produced a pair of recent articles examining the process of gentrification in Portland—a city that recent saw gentrification controversy spark over the location of a Trader Joe’s.

1 minute read

March 10, 2014, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Ann Griffin surveys the examples of gentrification and displacement in Portland—starting from the post-World War II example of inner Northeast Portland and to the urban renewal efforts of the 1970s.

Griffin goes onto cite the example of Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park as a neighborhood that revitalized without the negative impacts of displacement along racial lines. The secret to MacArthur Park’s success, according to Griffin: inclusionary coning and a Latino political influence. But Oregon prohibits inclusionary zoning and “African American activists, due in part to the small percentage of black voters in Portland, carry little day-to-day influence at City Hall.”

Earlier in the week, Griffin published the transcript from an interview with State Rep. Lew Frederick, who described his take on the African-American experience of gentrification in Portland. He noted, for example, the hidden qualities of gentrification in Portland: “Most of the folks in Portland, the white folks, really do not interact with African Americas at all. When you start talking about this as a problem they go, “Where?” because they don’t see it. They have no clue. That’s one of the issues that Portland has that’s going to be different than Boston or Philadelphia or Washington D.C.”

Friday, March 7, 2014 in The Oregonian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight