A Tale of Two Chinatowns: Development Projects and Their Effects on Diasporic Communities

Urban change as initiated by a municipality has ramifications on the communities and neighborhoods found in the urban area. Development plans greatly affect vulnerable migrant populations who rely on their neighbors for economic and social support. These development plans in urban areas are widely discussed in academic literature because of pervasive processes such as gentrification. While most people agree that processes such as gentrification are harmful to communities, I am interested in exploring urban development plans on a larger scale and who these projects most benefit in order to better understand why they are commissioned. In this thesis I perform a deep dive into Chinatowns because they are some of the most visible diasporas around the world and are increasingly subject to a municipality's development plans. I am interested in exploring which interest group, whether that be the established Chinese diaspora or new groups moving into the city, benefits the most from a municipality’s current development plans in an attempt to understand why these projects and processes continue to be commissioned. The case studies of the Chinatown in Manhattan and Paris were chosen since they are two of the largest Chinatowns in the world. They also have completely different histories, allowing for a better and more well-rounded understanding of Chinatowns on a global scale. Current development plans in New York City and Paris benefit neither interest group more than the other and instead only align with the agendas of the municipality, making it difficult for any population to truly succeed in the urban area. In this context, cities must take more action to protect their vulnerable populations. Immigrant populations highly contribute to key aspects of their respective cities through contributions to diversity, economic revenue, and culture, and thus, it is in the city’s best interest to protect these communities.