Ethnically Diverse HOPE VI Redevelopments: A Community Case Study From the Pacific Northwest

JoDee Keller
Pacific Lutheran University

Janice Laakso
Christine Stevens
Cathy Tashiro
University of Washington, Tacoma

The authors examine a Pacific Northwest Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE VI) site that, before redevelopment, was a vibrant, multiethnic community where neighbors united to address personal and community problems. We explore residents' sense of community, trust, feelings toward neighbors, and views about diversity before and after redevelopment. Findings suggest that residents valued diversity before redevelopment and experienced a diminished sense of community after redevelopment. Results are mixed regarding the re-emergence of community. Identifying and meeting the needs of diverse populations is important to mixed-income HOPE VI sites, particularly with the country's increasing diversity. Challenges in building and maintaining community are discussed, with recommendations for meeting the needs of ethnically diverse residents.