Boston Chinatown, A Rapidly Changing Community

The cultural character of this 170-year-old historic neighborhood continues to be threatened by institutional (“Eds and Meds”) encroachment, rapid development of luxury housing, and a real estate market which drives the prices of existing housing higher each year, pushing out long time residents and their families. The tiny 46-acre neighborhood lost much of its housing stock during the urban renewal era to institutions such as Tufts-New England Medical Center (now, Tufts Medical Center) and Tufts University. Chinatown lost about one-third of its developable land to highway construction in the 1950’s and 60’s. Today, gentrification threats come from over 1000 units of luxury rental housing being built on Chinatown’s western edge, and a pending mega development of 2.0 million plus square feet to the east, which will most likely be characterized by luxury spaces. Cumulatively, these developments will further escalate the market, forcing rents even higher, far outpacing income growth and the financial capacity of low and moderate income Chinatown residents. At the same time, these developments could change the commercial real estate market as well, putting pressure on the small businesses that serve Asian Americans from all over New England.