Do Bike Lanes Bring Gentrification?

With the not-so-secret understanding that white people are much more likely to bike, some ethnic minorities in Portland, Oregon see the coming of a bike lane through their neighborhood as a fast lane to gentrification.

1 minute read

September 6, 2011, 7:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

A proposed bike lane widening on N. Williams Avenue in Portland is causing a stir among residents, who see it is a step towards gentrification.

Paul M. Davis writes:

"This is only the latest salvo in a debate taking place in many of the nation's cities over bike lanes and how they affect disadvantaged communities. In Washington DC, where a 31% increase in white residents in the past decade has been met by an 11% decline in the black population, debates over gentrification have reached a fever pitch. As a recent New York Times article notes, in some DC neighborhoods bike lanes are seen to indicate the impending displacement of low-income communities..."

FULL STORY: Are Bike Lanes Expressways to Gentrification?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 in Shareable

Infrastructure Transportation Oregon Gentrification Bike Lanes

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