Racism by Design?

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings

We examined land use and design controls in three municipalities in Los Angeles County (CA)—Alhambra, Arcadia, and San Gabriel—that have experienced a recent influx of Asian residents. We drew from archival research of newspaper articles, planning documents, city council and planning commission meeting minutes, and interviews with 14 local planners, architects, planning and design review commissioners, and resident groups. We found that the three cities developed stringent development controls, encouraged Anglo or Spanish heritage architectural styles, and issued new guidelines and ordinances during the period of changing demographics. These actions often stemmed from White residents’ fear of losing their neighborhoods and interest in maintaining their existing landscapes. We detail here four contestations relating to mansionization, architectural styles, historic preservation, and massage parlors.

Takeaway for practice

The study is important for planning practice because it shows that development controls and design guidelines may be developed in reaction to increased anxieties about immigration and in ways that counteract the interests and values of some minority residents. Planners in ethnically diverse communities need to be aware of and respond to the possible exclusionary effects of design and land use controls. They need to better listen to newcomers’ concerns, integrate their voices in decision making, and educate both newcomers and long-time residents about the importance of each other’s cultural heritage. Planners may seek to exercise professional ingenuity in developing and implementing design and planning regulations that better balance spatial identities and accommodate conflicting tastes.

Keywords:

• architectural styles
• Asian American communities
• design control
• urban form

Supplemental Material

Supplemental data for this article can be found on the publisher’s website.

Notes

1 Among the 26 cities that do not have design regulations citywide or for designated larger districts, 16 were majority Hispanic, and 6 were majority Asian.

2 Alhambra and Arcadia do not have historic preservation committees.

3 The Mission District is a historic district in San Gabriel that celebrates the heritage of the historic San Gabriel Mission. It covers about 101 acres of land, or about 4% of the entire city. It is at the core of the city’s official image and is featured on the city’s official website and logo.

4 Alhambra’s floor–area ratio regulation was initially adopted in the 1990s, setting a 75% threshold, which was later reduced for some neighborhoods in the 2000s to address mansionization.

5 Based on a review of minutes, most last names in public comments were non-Spanish.

6 Chinese families tend to be larger because they usually have multiple generations living together under the same roof; as families grow, they need larger homes.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy.

Notes on contributors

Hao Ding

HAO DING ([email protected]) is a doctoral student in the Department of Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris

ANASTASIA LOUKAITOU-SIDERIS ([email protected]) is a distinguished professor of urban planning and associate dean at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.