Layton Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Department of Family Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
Gerontologist. 2021 Nov 15;61(8):1254-1265. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnab041.
The influx of people with higher socioeconomic status into large Black communities is well documented; less is known regarding smaller, aging Black communities. Older Black adults in Portland, Oregon, among America's fastest gentrifying cities with the smallest metropolitan Black population, discussed barriers to healthy aging. Perspectives centered on the experience of gentrification, displacement, and its impact on social microsystems, place security, and aging in place.
One-time focus groups engaged 41 Black adults aged at least 45. A demographic survey included residence area/duration. Discussions were thematically coded. Ecological Systems Theory guided interpretation.
The majority of participants resided within gentrifying historically Black neighborhoods (89.2%), were aged at least 65 (54.6%), and lived in their neighborhood for at least 21 years (24.3%). Emergent discussion themes were rise and fall of Black ownership, displacement, race-related stress, and financial burden. Gentrification contributed to the dismantling of Black property ownership curated over generations, increased financial burden, and threatened place security. Physical displacement strained social networks, diminishing intergenerational neighborhood ties that supported aging in place. Cultural and physical displacement weakened the sense of social cohesion and belonging and induced race-related stressful interactions with new residents within original and relocation neighborhoods.
Gentrification in the Pacific Northwest echoes national trends, uprooting critical close-proximity social networks and deteriorating motivation to engage in neighborhood-based social activity. Smaller, aging Black communities may be particularly vulnerable to these effects, which critically affect aging in place. Data inform researchers and policymakers to better understand how gentrification affects smaller, aging Black communities.
越来越多的高社会经济地位人群涌入大型黑人社区，这一现象已经有大量文献记载；而对于规模较小、日渐老化的黑人社区，相关研究则较少。在俄勒冈州波特兰市，有一群年龄较大的黑人成年人，他们是美国人口最少的大都市黑人社区之一，也是城市快速发展的地区，他们讨论了阻碍健康老龄化的因素。这些观点集中在城市化、流离失所及其对社会微观系统、地方安全和就地老龄化的影响。
一次性的焦点小组吸引了 41 名年龄至少 45 岁的黑人成年人。人口统计调查包括居住区域/时长。讨论内容按照主题进行编码。生态系统理论指导解释。
大多数参与者居住在正在城市化的历史上的黑人社区（89.2%），年龄至少 65 岁（54.6%），在他们的社区居住至少 21 年（24.3%）。出现的讨论主题是黑人所有权的兴衰、流离失所、与种族相关的压力和经济负担。城市化导致几代人精心维护的黑人财产所有权解体，增加了经济负担，并威胁到地方安全。物理流离失所破坏了社会网络，减少了支持就地老龄化的代际邻里关系。文化和物理流离失所削弱了社会凝聚力和归属感，并导致与原社区和搬迁社区的新居民发生与种族相关的紧张互动。
太平洋西北地区的城市化反映了全国的趋势，破坏了至关重要的近距离社会网络，削弱了参与邻里社交活动的积极性。规模较小、老龄化的黑人社区可能特别容易受到这些影响，这对就地老龄化产生了严重影响。数据为研究人员和政策制定者提供了信息，以更好地了解城市化如何影响较小、老龄化的黑人社区。
