As an urban historian, studies how cities, and neighborhoods within cities, retain their character in the face of change.
How, he says, 鈥渘eighborhoods remember themselves.鈥�
An associate professor of urban design and planning at the 91探花, Chalana has researched cities around the world, how development can alter the face and fabric of a community, and the role governments can play in the process.
In the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, which grew to be the center of the city鈥檚 LGBTQ community after World War II, Chalana has written about the designation of a 鈥溾�� in the Pike Street/Pine Street corridor. The city design regulations stipulate how, for example, the facade of an older building can be retained at the base of a newer, taller structure.
As the city has encouraged higher densities, the influx of development on Capitol Hill over the past decade has meant higher rents, for residents and businesses alike. The area has become more affluent, with fewer of the modest and 鈥済ritty鈥� establishments that were more common in the 1990s and even early 2000s, and newcomers may not always see it as primarily a gay neighborhood, Chalana said. Meanwhile, LGBTQ communities are growing in other areas, such as West Seattle and Tacoma.
鈥淭he fact that gay people can move anywhere is a great sign of progress,鈥� Chalana said. 鈥淏ut gay neighborhoods are still relevant, still needed. They are important for community-building, and for people to have support systems, especially for people who come from places where they weren鈥檛 supported, or who aren鈥檛 comfortable being out.鈥�
And it鈥檚 not as if the changes on Capitol Hill are all bad, Chalana adds. Capitol Hill is still a vibrant neighborhood with a rich history.
鈥淐hange is integral to all cities,鈥� he said. 鈥淐apitol Hill is still a gay neighborhood, but it鈥檚 a different type of gay neighborhood. It remains the gay heart of the city.鈥�
For more information, contact Chalana at chalana@uw.edu.