Holding Ground in Fields Corner: Queer Businesses' Role in Resisting Displacement

Abstract

Extensive literature explores queer residential neighborhoods and gentrification, yet urban planning research offers little analysis of queer businesses’ role in stabilizing neighborhood identity and mitigating displacement pressures. This study examines how queer businesses in Fields Corner, a neighborhood in Dorchester, Boston, counteract gentrification-driven displacement. Using longitudinal analyses of shifting land and property values, along with archival documents and semi-structured interviews with queer business owners, the study investigates their sense of belonging, strategies for resistance or adaptation, and contributions to the area’s physical, social, cultural, and economic fabric. Findings offer insights into the intersections of queer identity, commerce, and urban change, culminating in planning strategies to strengthen queer businesses’ presence and curb displacement pressures in the face of gentrification.