ABSTRACT
As multiculturalism has become a valued aspect of the city, ethnic enclaves—urban neighborhoods occupied predominantly by immigrant populations—have taken on new economic power in the post-industrial economy. However, with Western cities become increasingly diverse, multiple ethnic communities often overlap in shared urban spaces. Employing ethnographic methods, this chapter examines Wilshire Center, Los Angeles, to better understand how residents, and primarily 1.5- and second-generation immigrants, perceive of and experience the culture of their community and how they foster or resist neighborhood change. I find that residents' perspectives on neighborhood are more related to their age, occupation, and level of engagement in local affairs than their ethnic identity. In doing so, this research complicates the notion that residents of ethnic enclaves hold one monolithic cultural identity, and highlights important considerations for community development practitioners seeking to plan for multiple publics.
