American Chinatowns - Race, Identity, and Postwar Urban Redevelopment

American Chinatowns: Race, Identity, and Postwar Urban Redevelopment offers a captivating exploration of the vibrant yet contested landscapes of Chinatowns across the United States.Through a critical and nuanced lens, Li examines how postwar urban redevelopment, racial dynamics, and identity politics have profoundly transformed these iconic neighborhoods. Blending rich historical research with sharp analysis, this book uncovers the interplay of race, urban planning ideologies, and social equity, shedding light on how Chinatowns navigate resilience and reinvention amid shifting urban paradigms. Li's work highlights the tension between cultural preservation and modernization, exploring the built environment alongside community-driven spatial activism to reveal how these urban spaces persist as sites of resistance, identity, and transformation. American Chinatowns is a compelling study of cultural landscape, urban justice, and the politics of city-making.This book is essential reading for scholars, urbanists, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of race, identity, and the evolving narratives of America's cities. This book invites readers to rethink the meaning of place, heritage, and equity in the urban fabric.

List of contents

Introduction
Part I
Land-Use Changes and the Politics of Differences
1. Housing and Contested Territory in San Francisco's Chinatown
2. "Urban Renewal Comes to Chinatown with Ease?": The Case of Chicago's Chinatown
3. Redefining Urban Production Spaces in New York's Chinatown
Part II
Reinventing Neighborhood: Cultural Identity and Landscape Changes
4. Historic Preservation and the Politics of Identity in San Francisco's Chinatown
5. Landscape Imagery and Community Building in Chicago's Chinatown
6. Contested Ground of New York's Chinatown Amid Global Shifts
Conclusions

About the author

Chuo Li is Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design at Mississippi State University. Her research advocates for the role of landscape design in fostering resilient communities and creating inclusive, equitable cities.

Product details

• Authors: Chuo Li
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.05.2025
• EAN: 9781032848198
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3284819-8
• No. of pages: 248
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Architecture; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Urban, spatial and country planning; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; SOCIAL SCIENCE / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Geography, HISTORY / United States / 21st Century, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Real Estate / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / General, HISTORY / Modern / 21st Century, HISTORY / Social History, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Civil / General, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Landmarks & Monuments, ARCHITECTURE / Urban & Land Use Planning, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Urban, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Infrastructure, Urban & municipal planning, Interdisciplinary studies, History of the Americas, Civil engineering, surveying & building, Urban communities, Urban and municipal planning and policy, Industrialisation & Industrial History, Industrialisation and industrial history, Civil engineering, surveying and building, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General