Marlene Kalb

UROP Award

Research and Action: An Exploration Study of Dominican Immigrants’ Perceptions of Gentrification

This summer, Marlene Kalb worked on a research project with Dr. Linda Sprague Martinez that was undertaken in collaboration with Boston University’s School of Social Work, Tufts University’s Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, and the Dominican Development Center. She participated in an exploratory study regarding the impacts of gentrification on the health and well being of Dominicans in Boston.

Marlene gathered data by conducting interviews with housing advocates and Dominican community members living in gentrified communities around Boston. Gentrification can be described as the displacement of mainly low-income communities of color because of the movement of people, primarily affluent whites, from the suburbs back to the cities, producing changes evident at the neighborhood level. The goal of her research was to plan and implement a community forum that will include local policymakers and housing advocates who will engage with the data gathered from her research, eventually effecting change in policy. The forum will be hosted in November of 2015.

After working with Health Leads (a non-profit public health organization) for the past few years, Marlene chose this research project as a result of the changes she witnessed in Roxbury. As she describes, “housing is one of the most important indicators of public health and access to services. As more people migrate to Boston, and rent prices continue to rise, this project is crucial for understanding some of the housing issues occurring in Boston communities.” What was most surprising about her study was the lack of subsidized housing and affordable market rate housing for members of the community. Marlene explains that “too many times, housing advocates would tell me there were no housing options in Boston and that there was not much the families could do but to remain on long wait lists or try to find somewhere more affordable outside the city.” As a result, Marlene learned that there were many actors with their own economic interests involved in gentrification, and the root of the issues being presented must be identified in order to better tackle them collectively.

Marlene says her research experience opened her eyes to future education and career opportunities and enhanced her skills for the competitive job market. She strongly recommends students pursue undergraduate research opportunities, and take full advantage of working with a BU faculty member.