ABSTRACT
Immigrant neighbourhoods are common in global cities, but remain contentious for some urban dwellers and in public policy. The contemporary public sphere is full of discussion of the supposed problems caused by immigration. This chapter presents a research which employs an observational method inspired by the work of the situationists combined with spatial semiotics on visual data. It attempts at psycho geography of Chinatowns in New York, Paris, and London. The chapter collects photographic and observational data using a walking observational method, a modified form of the Situationist drive. It offers a compelling new way to think about the meaning of cosmopolitan urban space in global cities. The chapter reflects an appreciation of the place-based turn in urban theory; recent work by Borer brings micro-sociological analysis to the relationship between urban dwellers and urban places. It addresses the meaning of Chinatowns in global cities by focusing on everyday urban life and culture and represents the iconic polyglot urban space.
