We all indulge in Chinese food now and then, whether it be pork chive dumplings, steamed buns, soup noodles, or numerous other delectable options. Chinatowns are the heart of many Asian-owned restaurants, bars, and businesses, bustling with authentic Asian cuisines and services. Chinatowns are also an epitome of what many ethnic minorities consider home, a refuge, a community, but many are gradually disappearing as gentrification plagues those cultural markers. Many Chinese residents and businesses were driven outside of Washington D.C. by the time the renowned landmark Friendship Archway was constructed between 7th and H Street. Progressive urban developments in Chinatowns have resulted in heightened numbers of Asian-Americans being displaced and stripped of their residences and communities where they find refuge.

The decline of Asian-owned businesses and residents in D.C.’s Chinatownl due to gentrification began as early as the 1920s, rendering unease among Asian-Americans living between 5th and 8th Street Northwest. In light of these changes, there should be more significant efforts by the local government to preserve what is left of the culture of Chinatown D.C. and to promote small Asian-owned businesses by providing incentives and conservation-based programming to counteract the effects of gentrification. The lack of present oversight and government involvement under three-term mayor, Murial Bowser, has caused D.C.’s Chinatown to slowly deteriorate and displace long-term residents.

Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown experienced the highest decrease in Chinese residents out of any city in the United States, from 69 percent in 1990 to 28 percent in 2020, a noticeable 41 percent decline. An enormous contribution to the decline was as a result of the development of the Capital One Arena on F Street Chinatown. The Capital One Arena finished construction in 1997, and since its establishment, has attracted numerous high-scale, non-Chinese businesses, resulting in increased rent, increased cost of living, and decreased access to affordable housing. Since the development ofthe Capital One Arena, small Asian-owned establishments in Chinatown began to diminish as chain businesses like Chick-fil-A, Clydes, and Five Guys began to surface. Large corporationsreplaced immigrant-owned businesses, shifting the economic landscape and social dynamic. 

Former resident and DC business owner Harry Chow said, “It became so expensive to live and run shops that the mom-and-pop Chinese grocery stores that used to cater to the Chinese community could no longer afford it. They're gone, and people have moved to the suburbs.” Long-term residents are encouraged and sometimes forced to sell their property to investors for prospective upscale developments, consequently driving out ethnic groups and further shrinking the population. Even before the arena, Asian-owned business owners were at risk of forfeiting their stores due to development projects such as commercial centers, conventions, and institutions. In 1980, Fung Dak Lee, a veteran and U.S. citizen, was deprived of his family-owned laundry business of 60 years due to George Washington University’s expansion, leaving him feeling incredibly shorted. Lee told the people at GWU “Why not let me stay just a few years, and then you can have the store?” Numerous Asian business owners and residents gradually followed suit to what is today’s Chinatown, bustling with chain restaurants, commercial residences, and declining Chinese-centric businesses. Many have begun relocating to Rockville, Maryland, where many consider it the ‘new’ Chinatown. Urban development in downtown D.C. has negatively affected the essence of Chinatown and its Chinese residents, slowly depriving them of their residence and community. 

D.C. Chinatown, with up to three thousand Chinese residents at its peak, has now declined to merely 300 residents since 2017 due to urban development. Urban development in downtown D.C. has negatively affected the Asian-American and Chinese community, slowly depriving them of their residence and community network. There should be larger efforts by the D.C. government to preserve what is left of the culture in D.C.’s Chinatown and invest in resources that best serve the community. The lack of oversight under Mayor Murial Bowser has caused Chinatown to slowly deteriorate and displace Chinese businesses. Murial Bowser, D.C.’s mayor since 2015, has historically overlooked Chinatown’s social and economic developments, making one-dimensional efforts to restore its once booming cultural community. 

Despite Boswer’s efforts, her plans seem ineffective in counteracting the consequences of gentrification. In June 2020, Murial Bowser announced conservation work agendas to restore the deteriorating structure of the Friendship Archway to ensure “the Archway remains an iconic landmark in Chinatown for years to come.” Mayor Bowser also remarked that the Archway “represents the strength of our Asian-American and Pacific Islander community and celebrates their contributions to the District.” MOAPIA (Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs) Executive Director Ben de Guzman, says, “The Friendship Archway remains an enduring… symbol of our District's ever-evolving Asian-American and Pacific Islander community… a testament to our DC values of embracing and cherishing such diversity.” There is no question that the iconic Archway, designed by local architect Alfred Liu, commemorating the sisterhood between D.C. and Beijing, China, provides visitors and residents a larger sense of appreciation of the history and culture of downtown D.C.. Although inadequate, Mayor Bowser developed The Great Streets Initiative to sustain small local businesses in Retail Priority Areas by providing grant funds; 5th through 8th streets are within the bounds of the program. She also attempted to collaborate with local organizations, artists, and residents by promoting cultural events such as D.C.’s annual Lunar New Year Festival in Chinatown despite such incentives being less effective. These incentives fail to accurately identify the rooted issues of accessibility, equal representation, lack of resources from culturally ingrained disparities, and generations of oppressive attitudes towards the ethnic minority. Current ineffective efforts poured into preserving the iconic Archway, small business programming, and cultural programming seemed to be fruitless on the still dwindling population as the cultural integrity and community of Chinatown continue to disintegrate. 

While there is no foolproof way to revive the hundreds of Chinese residents who were displaced over the years due to urban development, there are certainly correct ways to ensure that the remaining residents and businesses are protected from overdevelopment. Tested measures from other states heavily emphasize affordable housing, preservation of local businesses, inclusive language resources, and rent control for businesses. Bowser’s agenda should not only promise affordable housing but also preserve working-class jobs and local businesses while still being receptive to new people and opportunities. The district’s agendas should also include measures to attract Asian-American residents and Chinese-centered businesses back into Chinatown with detailed programs and incentives. Despite The Great Streets Initiative, it does not directly improve the diminishing cultural integrity of Chinese-owned restaurants in Chinatown, as many long-term established businesses are not protected against displacement or even closure. Hence, only so many historically established Chinese restaurants are still in business today due to inadequate support. 

Mayor Murial Bowser should provide tailored incentives and programming to Chinese-owned establishments in the form of uncomplicated access to grants, tax breaks, and financial and language support. Philadelphia has successfully maintained the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation that allows streamlined access to not only targeted local business support, but also youth services, neighborhood planning resources, housing resources, and employment resources on a web page that includes both English and Chinese languages. Targeted ethnic small businesses, particularly historic establishments, can benefit from financial burdens amidst inflated cost of living and rent in D.C. Furthermore, very rarely does D.C.’s programming involve an intensive language-inclusive resource page for Chinese residents and business owners, thereby making accessibility a hurdle. Web pages like Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation are excellent illustrations of how Bowser’s team can reformat their resources comprehensively and inclusively for residents of Chinatown. Likewise, Mayor Bowser should implement strict rent controls against developers amidst rising rent prices or aggressive urban development. As implemented in California, the rent control law AB-1482 limits the allowable annual commercial rent increase up to 10%. Similarly, in San Francisco, the Rent Ordinance was established to limit rent increases to no more than 20% over two years for tenants. The lack of rent control regulations for commercial tenants continues to be a pressing issue for many D.C. businesses as prices surge. By implementing targeted rent-limiting policies on historically cultural businesses in Chinatown, Mayor Bowser can alleviate the displacement of established Chinese restaurants and residents. 

What was once a bustling residential community filled with family-owned restaurants, markets, and shops is now just another commercial center for shopping, dining, and entertainment amongst the remaining few Asian residents in Chinatown. Washington D.C.’s three-term Mayor, Murial Bowser, has not developed effective measures to counteract the aggressive effects of gentrification in D.C.’s Chinatown as Chinese residents and businesses continue to relocate over the years. Effective measures include providing language inclusivity and accessibility efforts to Chinatown residents through the deployment of Chinese and English language accessibilities on resource-tailored websites, as well as pivotal financial support systems in the form of commercial rent control on Chinese-owned Chinatown businesses to alleviate aggressive rent increases. D.C. Chinatown was once a vibrant cultural center for many Chinese residents and Mayor Bowser should ensure incentives are favorable and accessible to maintain a balanced approach to economic changes while fostering cultural integrity.