Storefront: Communities, Commercial Gentrification, and the Racialization of Space

Based on an ethnographic study of the role and experiences of local businesses, institutions, and community-level actors in Logan Square and Pilsen, two longtime ethnic enclaves experiencing and resisting gentrification in Chicago, Storefront examines local businesses’ contributions to communities, how businesses might promote or protest gentrification, and how streetscape transformations can threaten community members’ sense of belonging in place. Steven Tuttle untangles issues of community and conflict, segregation and integration, alienation and place attachment, and small business social responsibility from the vantage point of local businesses themselves. In addition to insights about community development, local institutions, and social capital common in qualitative neighborhood studies and gentrification scholarship, Storefront also features a unique focus on local businesses and the racialization of space.