Trading Chinatown for Costco: The Future of Commercial Gentrification on St. Louis’ Olive Boulevard
Presenter(s)
Jade Zhang
Faculty Research Mentor
Eileen G'Sell
Do you plan to hold a Zoom Q&A Session?
No
Zoom Q&A Link
n/a
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Eileen G‘Sell, my College Writing professor, for her assistance and support.
Abstract or Description
St. Louis' relationship with its Chinese population has been fraught with tension since the destruction of its original Chinatown, "Hop Alley" in 1968 that made space for Busch Stadium's parking lot. In the past four years residents of the area have witnessed history tragically repeating itself, with city officials announcing in 2018 their plan to construct a massive $189 million redevelopment project on Olive Boulevard, an area that many consider to be St. Louis’ surrogate Chinatown. Approved in March by University City’s council of seven representatives, none of whom are Asian, the project repeats the same patterns of gentrification that have antagonized the Chinese community for decades. Specifically, the Olive controversy can be viewed as a test case for the two opposing concepts of commercial gentrification and cultural community, the consequences of which this paper will examine through tracing the history of Chinese settlement in the city and how it interacts with growth driven urban planning.