In junior high school, the Upper West Side was miles away from Harlem. Now, boundaries blur. Trends in the real estate market and new development opportunities have reached “uptown”, rapidly transforming a neighborhood formerly marked by retail and residential disinvestment. Gentrification in Harlem is on the minds and lips of everyone, from residents to politicians, university administrators to New York Times reporters, activists to developers, and business owners to the blogosphere. This research explores the dynamic relationship between race, place and power in an urban community in flux; examining the ways in which community members frame and define neighborhood change in West Harlem, and paying close attention to issues of power, identity and inclusion.