Map of the proposed redevelopment in Vancouver.

On February 4, 1958, Vancouver City Council approved a multi-phase, twenty-year slum-clearance "Redevelopment Project" targeting Strathcona and adjacent Chinatown. Between 1958 and the late 1960s, over 15 city blocks were razed, displacing many Chinese from the area. In December 1968, residents formed the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association (SPOTA). In early 1969, Ottawa froze redevelopment funds and allocated $5 million for rehabilitation. SPOTA's campaign also defeated the proposed "Project 200" freeway, which would have cut through Strathcona, Hogan's Alley, Chinatown, Gastown, and the West End, displacing homes and businesses in predominantly working-class and immigrant communities.