Gentrification In Chinatown

Other scholars have documented that when communities go through preservation periods, this may also be followed by reinvestment and gentrification (Lees et al. 2013). However, wealthy people do not just go around with the intention of displacing families in communities. Besides greedy landowners, there are other mechanisms that factor into gentrification and displacement. Be it a vibrant ethnic culture, a booming art scene, or trendy restaurants, creative factors that welcome diversity attract outside community members to either participate or invest (Florida 2003). Even if heritage, art, and restaurants may have been created for current residents, people with more financial mobility are able to participate in cultural consumption at their

Although Los Angeles Chinatown was a popular first-stop in the states, it did not remain economically viable for low-income immigrants to continue living there because of increasing rent and real estate. In particular, gentrification has an effect on new Chinese residents who settle in Chinatown that tend to be “poorer, less educated, less acculturated” (Lin 2008). Along with the influx of low-income residents in search of their American dream, there was a portion of wealthy entrepreneurs and investors who rightfully saw potential in Chinatowns within the United States (Liu and Lin 2009). Although Oakland was able to deflect and divert investment over to San Francisco, Los Angeles became the prime area for investment because of its popularity at the time. As a result, many low-income immigrant families that were originally situated in Los Angeles Chinatown eventually moved into the San Gabriel Valley (Liu and Lin 2009). Between its close proximity to Los Angeles Chinatown, the preservation of Chinese language and culture, and the affordable rents, the San Gabriel Valley became an economically and culturally viable option for lower-income immigrants in Los Angeles. As a result, Los Angeles Chinatown had numerous vacancies in housing and business. As Chinese residents left Chinatown, struggling business owners decided to open restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley instead (Gold 2015). Due to the numerous vacancies, newer American, fusion, and pan-Asian restaurants situated themselves in Chinatown (Trinh 2017). Although some could argue that the newer restaurants are not competing against older Chinese institutions, the presence of non-Chinese restaurants does have an impact on the cultural essence of Chinatown. Consequently, it makes me difficult for Los Angeles Chinatown to sustain traditional Chinese culture amidst the variety of cuisines. While