As it's Chinese New Year, this newsletter is centered on the Chinatowns segment we plan to include in a larger episode about how cities are affected by immigration. Being the Year of the Rabbit, we hop around North America for a look at how some of these historic ethnic enclaves are faring. Meanwhile, we continue production, post-production and fundraising for the Saving the City documentary series about how to make our cities better places. Despite Chinatowns being part of the fabric of San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, New York and elsewhere, most of these communities are in relative decline as many new immigrants go directly to the suburbs (Houston, Seattle, Atlanta), their proximity to city centers makes them development magnets and old guard leadership often prefers the status quo to needed change to keep them relevant. Among traditional Chinatowns, only Chicago's continues expanding. |
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One fascinating story we ran into is how ⅔ of LA's Chinatown was moved a few blocks to North Broadway in the mid-1930s to make way for the now landmark Union Station train terminal. It is one of several examples of neighborhood demolition that predated the post-War redevelopment era. The remaining ⅓ of the original site was then flattened in the early 1950s for the Hollywood Freeway downtown extension. And how many know there are remnants of small Chinatowns still barely visible in the downtowns of Pittsburgh, St Louis and Baltimore? Check out all of our newsletters here. Below is a street scene in New York's historic Chinatown. |
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After watching Saving the City, you will never look at cities the same way again. We hope you will be inspired to make a difference in your local communities. Check out our work and let us know what you think. We're always hungry for more stories and refer us to people we should know about. And please share this newsletter with friends and family. |
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Thanks to generous funding from the William Penn, Packard, Hewlett, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Foundations, Heinz Endowments, an Urban Land Institute leadership group and individuals led by George Miller and Chris Larsen, we have raised over $900,000 to date. A more complete list of contributors is here. Help us raise the $600,000 needed to complete our first two episodes as we're almost one-third of the way there. All funds go through the International Documentary Association, a 501c(3) non-profit. |
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A big thank you to Wayne Ratkovich of Los Angeles for twice providing production support and numerous introductions. |
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"The American city should be a collection of communities where every member has a right to belong. It should be a place where every man feels safe on his streets and in the house of his friends. It should be a place where each individual’s dignity and self-respect is strengthened by the respect and affection of his neighbors. It should be a place where each of us can find the satisfaction and warmth which comes from being a member of the community of man. This is what man sought at the dawn of civilization. It is what we seek today." President Lyndon Johnson – special message to Congress on cities, 1965 |
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Hear from Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director, Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at the University of Southern California |
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Copyright 2023 © Ronald M. Blatman, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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