Assessing residents’ opinions on changes in a gentrifying neighborhood: A case study of the Alberta neighborhood in Portland, Oregon

In this article, I use survey data to examine residents’ opinions about changes in the gentrifying Alberta neighborhood of Portland, OR. This neighborhood is diverse in terms of race, socioeconomic status, tenure status, and length of residence, and there has been an influx of educated white residents, some of whom have been instrumental in creating the new “Alberta Arts” identity, coupled with a decline in black residents, businesses, and cultural institutions. I evaluate which of the residents are most likely to approve of these changes. The majority of the residents like the way the neighborhood is evolving. However, homeowners and longtime white residents are more likely to approve of the changes. Further analysis reveals that homeowners and white residents have more relations with—and are more trusting of—their neighbors and shop more at the neighborhood's new grocery store. Homeowners are also less likely to feel vulnerable to being displaced.