The Broader Context: New York City's Housing Crisis
Chinatown's struggles are part of a larger housing crisis affecting New York City, pointing to the growing inequality in the city and the urgent need for affordable housing solutions:
- In 2013, the top 5% of New Yorkers had a mean income of $436,931, while the poverty rate increased to 21.2%
- The waiting list for public housing eclipsed the number of available NYCHA apartments
- Women-led households make up a disproportionate number of public housing residents and those living in poverty
The Right to the City
CAAAV and other housing rights organizations have embraced the concept of the "Right to the City," as said by famous urban studies theorist David Harvey [47]:
"The right to the city is far more than the individual liberty to access urban resources: it is a right to change ourselves by changing the city.... [T]his transformation inevitably depends upon the exercise of a collective power to reshape the processes of urbanization. The freedom to make and remake our cities and ourselves is... one of the most precious yet most neglected of our human rights."
This framework positions housing as a human right and challenges the commodification of urban space.
A Continuing Struggle
Despite immense challenges, Chinatown residents continue to fight for their right to remain in their homes and community. Through grassroots organizing, coalition-building, and direct action, they resist displacement and work to preserve Chinatown as a vibrant, diverse neighborhood for generations to come.
The story of Chinatown's housing struggles is one of resilience, community power, and the ongoing fight for equity in an increasingly unequal city. It highlights the role of intergenerational leadership in these battles, and the importance of understanding housing issues through an intersectional lens that considers race, class, gender, and immigration status.
As Zhi Qi Zheng's powerful statement reminds us: "This is a home. Why should money make me move?" [48] This question continues to drive the movement for housing justice in Chinatown and beyond, challenging us all to envision and fight for a more equitable urban future.