International District

Background Information

International District used to be one of the few places that didn’t have racially restrictive covenants. This neighborhood was one of the few neighborhoods where marginalized groups were allowed to own houses. This is also known as redlining. The International District was formally known as “China Town” because there was a prominent Asian population, which included many people from China and other countries in Asia like Japan and Korea. Although Asian Americans put in a lot of work to create a community in one of the few places they were allowed to own property, they are now being displaced from the neighborhoods they helped to create.

When it comes to Transportation and Urban planning, the history of the international district has a lot. After the building of the nearby Kingdome in 1976, the community lobbied to preserve the neighborhood with the introduction of the King Street Historical District in 1986. Today, the Chinatown-International district is home to thriving ethnic restaurants including the James Beard, 114 year old Maneki, the Wing Luke Museum, and Hing Hay park.

Background on Technology use and access: There have been problems with internet access across Seattle for some time. However, there are plans in place to increase internet access. The library systems have been promoting digital equity in their programs to help all people access web services.

Compared to the rest of the city, the International District's demographics show a very distinctive and varied mix of Race, Ethnicity, & Culture. The vast majority of people are of Asian descent. Chinese, Vietnamese, Phillipino, and Japanese origins make up the bulk of the population.


Observations

Buildings that are closer to the link rail are often newer apartment buildings. A lot of people come to the international district for markets like Uwajimaya or Daiso.

Based on my observations in person, the urban planning had a mix of highs and lows. The lime bikes and scooters were present everywhere, and walking seemed to be the main route. Parking and driving was crammed and there was a lot of traffic in the streets.

Technology use and access: The public library in the international district has access to computers as well as various online resources. They have tutoring services as well. I noticed that there were not a lot of people in the library using the actual computers, but there seems to be lots of online resources that the library provides.

From my observation, the majority of the local, family-run companies in the International District have been in operation for many decades. This neighborhood combines a wide variety of ethnic themes and languages, from the grocery to the billboards.


Population Health Topics Information

Public Art and Architecture

The International District consists of Chinatown, Japantown and little Saigon highlighting the cultural diversity of the place. As a result there is a wide variety of arts available. There are many museums such as the Beijing arts and crafts, deng studio and art gallery, seattle kung fu club, bonfire art space. Moreover the building architectures are also inspired from these cultures adding a beautiful diversity to the Seattle urban landscape.

Upon visiting the International Distriict we noticed the locals seemed to appreciate the street art and it added to the ambience of the locality. The street art on the roads themselves stood out to me the most. They used a variety of bright colors.

Gentrification and Changing Demographics

image credit: Uwajimaya and (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)

The International District is a historically redlined neighborhood. Since the International District was one of the few places that did not have racially restrictive covenants, it became home to Asian Americans as well as other historically marginalized groups that were pushed out of housing elsewhere. The gentrification and changing demographics is a barrier to the neighborhood. The new buildings drive up the housing market rates and property taxes. This makes it so the people already living there can’t afford the dramatic increase in property taxes and are forced to move somewhere else. The International District used to be one of the only places where marginalized groups could find housing and they built their own communities when no one else would welcome them into theirs. From the census data in 2020, there was a -4.9% change in the Asian population from 2010. Due to gentrification, these communities are being displaced as they move to more affordable housing elsewhere. The International District is popular with White people for shops like Daiso or the Uwajimaya Asian Food and Gift Market, but the communities that built those markets are no longer able to live close to them.

Urban Planning and Transportation

After taking a trip to the International District, I noticed multiple assets right away. We took the light rail from the campus and in twenty minutes got off in the middle of the International District. This is an asset to the community because of how fast, easy and accessible the light rail is to all people. After we got off the light rail, we walked around town. At almost every corner, there were lime scooters and bikes ready to use. Especially in a city as big as the International District, it is crucial to have fast and easy transportation access to all people. Lime scooters and bikes are a perfect way to get from one destination to another inside the city. One barrier we noticed was the parking. In the city, there were too many cars for too few parking spots, it felt overloaded with parallel parked cars all over the city. Not only that, but there were empty parking lots all over the city with expensive passes to buy for the day. To us, this was an ineffective way of dealing with parking situations. The city should lower parking fees so the roads are less crowded with parallel parking and more effective for using lots.

Technology use and Access

Technology access can be considered an asset in the International District. There is a public library with access to computers. They also offer various tutoring services and online resources. This helps the community with access to educational resources. However, this can also be considered a barrier. There are a limited number of computers available at the library, and if somebody doesn’t have access to a computer outside of the library, it may prevent them from accessing the resources. However, based on my background research, there are plans in place to provide internet access across Seattle, so this barrier is being addressed.

Race, Ethnicity, & Culture

This is an asset to the International District. As one of Seattle's most varied neighborhoods, the International District has served as a port of entry for immigrants from all over the world for many years, and since its founding, the community's variety has only increased. Because the diversity brought by people from different cultures opens the door to improved problem-solving, more compassion, deeper learning, and multiple worldviews. The diverse society promotes and capitalizes on its distinctions to make its services accessible and pertinent. People from different cultures could make use of the broadest range of perspectives and experiences imaginable in order to pay attention to and adapt to its people. Diversity should be promoted for the good of society.


Neighborhood Assessment

Gentrification and changing demographics is a barrier to the neighborhood because it displaces the communities that created the features that draw tourists to the neighborhood today. This can mean the same people that created the public art and architecture the district is known for are not able to live in the district today.

Public art and Architecture is an asset because it creates a strong sense of community and respect for one another. Even those who aren't a part of the culture can respect it and appreciate it. This is helpful for the population who live in the international district as it makes the locality more amicable.

An asset to Transportation and Urban Planning is the light rail that is present in the middle of the International District. This is good for all citizens to make a cheap trip and travel all around Seattle and neighboring cities

Technology access is an asset to the international district. Having access to public libraries that have computers can help people access resources such as tutoring services, and other online resources. However, if not everybody has internet access at home, it can be a barrier since they cannot access online resources.

Race and Culture is an asset to the International District. As one of Seattle's most varied neighborhoods, the International District has served as a port of entry for immigrants from all over the world for many years, and since its founding, the community's variety has only increased.

Overall, we consider the population health snapshot of our neighborhood to be a 3.


Sources

"Chinatown–International District." Visit Seattle. 04 Aug. 2022. Web. 6 Dec. 2022.

“Chinatown Neighborhood in Seattle, Washington (WA), 98104, 98144 Detailed Profile.”Chinatown Neighborhood in Seattle, Washington (WA), 98104, 98144 Subdivision Profile- Real Estate, Apartments, Condos, Homes, Community, Population, Jobs, Income, Streets, https://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Chinatown-Seattle-WA.html. 

Derrick, Anthony. “Mayor Durkan and Seattle City Council Release Internet for All Gap Analysis Report with Action Plan to Increase Access to Internet and Close the Digital Divide.” Office of the Mayor, 16 Sept. 2020, https://durkan.seattle.gov/2020/09/mayor-durkan-and-seattle-city-council-release-internet-for-all-gap-analysis-report-with-action-plan-to-increase-access-to-internet-and-close-the-digital-divide/.

Digital Equity. https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/social-justice/digital-equity. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.

Explore Census Data. https://data.census.gov/cedsci/all?g=0400000US53_1400000US53033009300. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.

Magpali, Ashley, et al. UW First Year Programs, 2019, https://fyp.washington.edu/site/assets/files/9696/core_international_district_-_tejkiran_kaur.pdf.

Mannypr29able. "Exploring Seattle - Exploring Seattle's Chinatown-International District | Seattle, Washington." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Mar. 2022. Web. 6 Dec. 2022.

MARTIN, GENNA. “The Chinatown/International District through the Years.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 22 May 2018, https://www.seattlepi.com/local/seattlenews/article/The-Chinatown-International-District-through-the-12931593.php.

Mitchell, DeJai Alandra. From Past to Present: An Examination of the Effects of Historic Redlining on Net Worth Within Seattle. 2021. digital.lib.washington.edu,  https://digital.lib.washington.edu:443/researchworks/handle/1773/47729 .

“Race and Ethnicity in International District, Seattle, Washington (Neighborhood).” The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas, https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Washington/Seattle/International-District/Race-and-Ethnicity.

Racial Restrictive Covenants Project - Washington. http://depts.washington.edu/covenants/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.

"Seattle's Chinatown-International District." Seattle Chinatown-International District. Web. 6 Dec. 2022.

Seattle Chinatown Historic District (U.S. National Park Service). https://www.nps.gov/places/seattle-chinatown-historic-district.htm. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.

image credit: Uwajimaya and (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)