Walking through Chinatown today, you will encounter layers of its identity: the memories of a Chinatown long gone, the visions of a Chinatown that could have been, the Chinatown that remains a home for long-term residents, and the Chinatown being reshaped for tourists and transplants. In a neighborhood that has been created and stewarded by immigrant Asian American residents, luxury developments now dot the landscape – raising rents, and displacing residents.
At the same time, those developments have exacerbated the climate crisis and environmental threats, namely, extreme heat, limited access to green space, and air pollution. Yet, the resilience that carried Chinatown through past crises, like the highway developments of the 20th century, continues to drive today’s community-led efforts to ensure that the future of Chinatown is shaped with the needs of immigrant Asian American residents front and center.
Now, the City of Boston is currently undergoing an effort to rezone Chinatown. The city is gathering feedback on the Chinatown Draft Zoning Map and Draft Zoning Text Amendment through an online survey that just closed this week. The results of this process could serve to slow gentrification, though many advocates are skeptical. Adding to the uncertainty around this process is the second Trump administration – which, if history is any indication, carries with it the threat of mass deportations, anti-China sentiment, and cuts to critical social services.
How do you preserve and improve one of the most significant ethnic enclaves in the Northeast in the face of both known threats to affordability and neighborhood character, as well as unknown challenges driven by shifting policies and politics? The Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), a long-running nonprofit organization started in 1987 in response to a need for affordable housing units in Chinatown, would tell you that it starts with adding affordable housing units to the market. But it doesn’t end there. Since its inception, ACDC has expanded its affordable development footprint into Quincy and Malden, two communities with significant Asian American populations. Beyond housing, the organization has built a robust portfolio of programs, including youth leadership training, community wealth building through homeownership programs, placekeeping initiatives, neighborhood advocacy, walking tours, and much more.
We spoke with ACDC Executive Director Angie Liou about what inspired her to pursue this work, what’s in store for ACDC in the coming year, and how she’s approaching the rezoning measures, the redevelopment of Phillips Square, and her thoughts on Kairos Shen’s appointment as Chief of City Planning. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.
Sampan: Angie, you have been at ACDC for several years now. Under your leadership, ACDC has continued its long legacy of serving Boston’s immigrant Asian American communities by building affordable housing, providing financial literacy tools, running youth leadership programs, and more. What initially inspired you to pursue a career in affordable housing and community development?
Liou: I was a sociology major in college, and I lived in Philadelphia at the time. Through both my academic work and my involvement with a welfare rights group outside of school, I was exposed to structural inequality in American cities. I realized that so many of these problems were rooted in housing issues. That’s when I decided to pursue a Master’s in City Planning, also in Philadelphia, and that’s essentially how I started my career focusing on affordable housing.
Sampan: What led you to ACDC? How has your role, and the organization, evolved since you joined?
Liou: Before joining ACDC, I worked in affordable housing in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Seattle. I was relocating to Boston, and the opportunity to serve as ACDC’s Director of Real Estate came up. It felt like a great fit, not only because of my professional background but also on a personal level, as an immigrant from Taiwan, it was a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the Asian community in Boston.
I served as Director of Real Estate for about two years before becoming the interim Executive Director. Since 2016, I’ve been in the role of Executive Director. Since I’ve been at ACDC for 11 years now, I’ve seen a lot of growth and evolution. When I first started, ACDC already did more than just build affordable housing. We had a growing youth program and a fairly established housing counseling and homebuyer education program. However, at the time, these programs weren’t very well connected, and the departments were siloed.
Over the last decade, we’ve grown a lot—both in terms of staff and program maturity. What I’m most proud of is that the departments are now much more integrated. There’s a lot of cross-departmental collaboration, and we have a much more coherent theory of change driving why we offer the programs we do.
Sampan: How would you describe ACDC’s theory of change?
Liou: ACDC invests in people and the communities they call home, with a focus on Boston’s Chinatown and the greater Boston region.
To give you an example of how a community member might navigate our programs and services, a family might first encounter us because they’ve moved into one of our affordable apartments, whether in Chinatown, Quincy, or eventually in Malden. If they have high school-aged children, they can enroll in our A-VOYCE youth leadership program, where they gain real-life skills to become community leaders. Adults can participate in our Resident Leadership Academy or get involved in placekeeping initiatives.
We also help families achieve financial stability through matched savings programs and first-time homebuyer classes. Some families who were our tenants have even become homeowners through our programs. Beyond housing, we support financial literacy, retirement savings, and broader community wellness.
Sampan: … When it comes to Chinatown specifically, what do you see as the biggest challenges facing residents today, and how is ACDC working to address them?
Liou: The number one challenge is the threat of displacement. Chinatown is currently undergoing a rezoning process with the city, and I feel like we’re at a crossroads in deciding what the future of Chinatown will look like.
What we’re seeing during the rezoning process is that the interests of the groups we prioritize at ACDC—the working-class and immigrant residents, many of whom are renters—don’t always align with those of property owners. Some stakeholders feel there’s too much affordable housing in Chinatown and believe that more hotels and tourism would help bring economic activity and jobs.
Redevelopment often displaces residents with no guarantee that they’ll be able to return. That’s a top concern for us, and the rezoning process must prioritize residents’ needs over external economic interests.
Sampan: When researching Phillip’s Square for a past article, concerns around the proposed hotel development at 15-25 Harrison Avenue came up since it is directly across the street from the Square. I heard concerns about how projects like that one often don’t serve the long-term community, and may worsen existing air quality through introducing more traffic to the area. Speaking of Phillips Square, what are your thoughts on the upcoming redesign?
Liou: ACDC was one of the first organizations to identify Phillips Square as a key space for Chinatown to focus on. We launched one of our first placekeeping projects there, about eight years ago.
We see Phillips Square as the northern entry point into Chinatown, and a crucial border for the neighborhood. We’ve developed what we call an “anchor strategy” to preserve Chinatown’s boundaries and identity. Over the years, Chinatown has shrunk, losing parts of the neighborhood to developments in the South End and elsewhere. There’s a real fear that we’re being squeezed from all sides.
Boundaries are more than just physical—they’re about who feels comfortable in a space and who feels like they belong. That’s why it’s so important that long-term residents feel at home in Phillip’s Square and can use it however they want. In some pockets of Chinatown, people are starting to feel, “Oh, there’s a new, really expensive place, but is this really for me, or is it catering to outsiders, newcomers, or tourists?”
Sampan: That’s such an important point. Speaking of open space, climate change is amplifying many of these challenges—extreme heat, poor air quality, and so on. How does climate justice shape ACDC’s work, and what concerns have you heard from the community?
Liou: Climate justice is a big part of what we do. Chinatown has long suffered from environmental injustices, like the air pollution caused by being bordered by two highways—the Mass Pike and I-93. This has had long-term impacts on residents—displacing families, and exposing residents who remained to high levels of air pollution as a result of living in close proximity to not one, but two highways.
More recently, with the rising number of heat emergencies, the need for safe, comfortable outdoor spaces has become even more urgent. For elderly residents in particular, breaking social isolation is critical, and they need spaces where they can gather comfortably.
Chinatown has the least green space per capita in Boston, as well as the least tree canopy coverage. During summer heat waves, Chinatown is often a few degrees hotter than the rest of the city. That’s why Phillips Square is so important. Right now, it’s underutilized, but that’s largely due to its current design—it doesn’t have any shade.
We see the redesign as an opportunity to make Phillips Square more usable and welcoming, with better shading, and programming to activate the space.
Sampan: Shifting gears a bit, Kairos Shen, Boston’s new Chief of Planning has had a long career in public service working on projects tied to Chinatown. What impact do you think he’ll have as Boston’s new head of planning?
Liou: Kairos has decades of experience working in Boston, which gives him invaluable local knowledge. Coupled with his experience in an academic setting at MIT, he brings both a practical and a theoretical perspective to the table.
I’m hopeful that he’ll strike a good balance between promoting development and growth while prioritizing the protection of existing residents. That balance is crucial, especially as we navigate issues like rezoning and community preservation.
Sampan: What are ACDC’s main priorities for 2025? Are there any new initiatives or ongoing projects you’re particularly excited about?
Liou: One thing I’m excited about is the completion of our new five-year strategic plan, which should be finalized in the next month or two. It’s not about introducing new programs, but deepening our existing work and expanding our capacity to serve more people.
We’re also focused on adapting our theory of change to the unique contexts of Quincy and Malden, where we also work. These communities have different needs from Chinatown, and we need to tailor our approach accordingly.
Sampan: That sounds like an exciting direction. I’ll keep an eye out for your strategic plan. As we wrap up, who, past or present, inspires you as a leader in this field?
Liou: Tunney Lee. He sadly passed away early in the pandemic. He was a mentor to so many in the Chinatown community and always had the residents’ best interests at heart.
Tunney didn’t beat around the bush—he was straightforward and deeply committed to the community. When he was alive and well, we’d see him frequently, walking around Chinatown with his backpack and walking stick. He believed that the best way to get to know your community and neighborhoods was by walking them.
