Ethnicity, Culture and Park Design: Case Studies of Urban Parks in American Chinatowns

Abstract

This paper examines the role of ethnicity and culture in the making of urban parks. It focuses on neighbourhood parks in three Chinatowns to explore how park design that addresses the social and cultural needs of the user groups affects park uses. The study employs a combination of field observation, personal interviews, and archival research to examine how the park is used by the ethnic community, uses which adapt or subvert the dominant forms of public space and public life. While the case studies reveal the unique cultural practices of the Chinese as an ethnic group, the analysis also provides general insight into the association between park design and the level of integration of park space into the everyday life of ethnic minorities.

Notes

^1. Interview with Alan Tse, park manager of Portsmouth Square in November 2011.

^2. Interview with Chinese elderly sitting in the park in November 2011.

^3. Interview with Alan Tse, park manager of Portsmouth Square in November 2011.

^4. Ibid.

^5. Ibid.

^6. See a public forum that has a discussion about the Night Market Fair in San Francisco's Chinatown; website http://www.yelp.com/biz/chinatown-night-market-fair-san-francisco.

^7. Personal conversation with Ernest Wong in October 2010.

^8. Interview with residents of Chinatown Square in Chicago's Chinatown by the author, June 2013.