“We want to do it differently”: Resisting gentrification in Houston’s Northern Third Ward

ABSTRACT

This case study describes the beginning stages of community mobilization in highly market-driven Houston, Texas, and the gentrifying Northern Third Ward, one of the city’s oldest African American communities. The primary question is how can residents mobilize and resist gentrification in places with an extraordinarily weak community development tradition? Drawing on ethnographic research, the case study illuminates mobilization as an important first step in the community development process that creates a space for dialogue, consciousness raising, and both horizontal and vertical linkages to increase collective action, power, and progress toward the broader movement for social justice.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank John Chin, William M. Harris, Sr., Peter Marcuse, Sigmund Shipp, Laura Solitare, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lester O. King

Lester O. King is a Research Scientist and Lecturer in the Department of BioSciences, Weiss School of Natural Sciences, at Rice University. His research focuses on consensus building techniques within citizen participation, and performance measurement for achieving sustainability goals. King was principal investigator for the Houston Sustainability Indicators Project (HSI) and five technical reports (annually from 2012 to 2016) pertaining to the measurement and characterization of community and urban sustainability in Houston. He holds a Ph.D. in urban planning and environmental policy from Texas Southern University.

Jeffrey S. Lowe

Jeffrey S. Lowe is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy in the Barbara Jordan–Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. His research addresses social justice and racial equity concerns within the context of community development and includes scholarship about progressive innovations in community-based planning. Also, his scholarship advances understanding and alternatives for post-hurricane revitalization in communities of color. Lowe earned his Ph.D. in urban planning and policy development from Rutgers University.