The Callowhill neighborhood that lies directly west of Chinatown North is undergoing a renaissance stemming from strong demand for loft apartments in the area. Andy Toy mentioned an inherent tension between the interests of the PCDC and the Callowhill residents: the latter group tends to comprise of higher-income young professionals, while the PCDC always tries to ensure that there is availability of housing for the lower-income households [5]. Indeed, the 1990 Census reflected that the median family income for a Chinatown household is below $15,000, while the Center City average is $60,000 [2]. With space constraints in the main Chinatown, the logical spillover area is Chinatown North, and projects such as Hing Wah Yuen have been a mix of market price homes and subsidized homes. This contrasts sharply with the growth trajectory of the Callowhill neighborhood, where rental rates are almost as high as those in Center City and per square foot sale prices have also been inching up. This means that two very different residential demographic profiles are envisioned by the PCDC and the Callowhill Neighborhood Association.
In some instances, market forces dictate the outcome of urban change. Here, the upscale Bufad's pizzeria, opened at the start of 2013, took over a spot that was previously Yum Yum Restaurant, with the latter's original red-and-gold signboard, previously adorning the restaurant's main door, still retained in a discreet spot at the rear of the building. Displacement has taken place, and in this case vestigial elements remain. Will this always be the case, or will displacement in other instances erase the traces of earlier history? This one example is an excellent testament to the frictional forces created when adjacent neighborhoods undertake different growth trajectories.
