Multicultural Cities: Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles

379 Pages·2016·2.39 MB·English

by  Mohammed Abdul Qadeer

MULTICULTURAL CITIES
Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles
W hat defines a multicultural city? Policy? Geography? Demography?
In M ulticultural Cities , Mohammad Abdul Qadeer offers a tour of three
of North America’s largest multicultural metropolises – Toronto, New
York, and Los Angeles – that demonstrates the essential qualities that
make these cities multicultural.
G uided by the perspective that multiculturalism is cultural diversity
supported by a common ground of values and institutions, Qadeer exam-
ines the social geography, economy, and everyday life of each metropoli-
tan area. His analysis captures the important differences between cities in
Canada, where multiculturalism is official government policy, and in the
United States, where it is not. Written by a keen observer of North Ameri-
can urban life, M ulticultural Cities is a comprehensive investigation of how
some of today’s leading majority-minority cities thrive.
mohammad abdul qadeer is a professor emeritus in the Department
of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University.
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MOHAMMAD ABDUL QADEER
Multicultural Cities
Toronto, New York, and
Los Angeles
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2016
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-4426-3013-0 (cloth) ISBN 978-1-4426-3014-7 (paper)
Printed on acid-free, 100% post-consumer recycled paper with
vegetable-based inks.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Qadeer, Mohammad A., author
Multicultural cities : Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles / Mohammad
Abdul Qadeer.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4426-3013-0 (cloth). – ISBN 978-1-4426-3014-7 (paper)
1. Multiculturalism – Ontario – Toronto. 2. Multiculturalism – New York (State) –
New York. 3. Multiculturalism – California – Los Angeles. I. Title.
HN110.T6Q33 2016 305.8009713/541 C2015-908249-8
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Federation for the
Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Awards to Scholarly Publications
Program, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its publishing
program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, an
Ontario government agency.
Funded by the Financé par le
Government gouvernement
of Canada du Canada
To my grandchildren
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Contents
List of Maps ix
List of Photographs xi
List of Tables xi ii
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xix
1 Cultures and the City 3
2 Multiculturalism: Diversity Rights and the
Common Ground 20
3 Making Multicultural Cities 40
4 The Social Geography of Multicultural Cities 56
5 Ethnicity and the Urban Economy 88
6 The Patterns of Community Life 125
7 Experiences of Living in Multicultural Cities 150
8 Political Incorporation and Diversity 171
9 The Pluralism of Urban Services 195
viii Contents
10 Urban Planning for Cultural Diversity 216
11 Imagining Multicultural Cities 245
Appendix: Theoretical Discourse on Multiculturalism 269
Notes 275
Bibliography 309
Index 331
Maps
4.1 Toronto’s ethnic enclaves, 2006 64
4.2 New York’s neighbourhoods by ethnic concentrations, 2010 68
4.3 Los Angeles County’s ethno-racial concentrations, 2000 71