(Expanding) Borders of Chinatown
As a group, Younghyun, Hyeki and I have chosen to pursue a project on the concept of the borders of neighborhoods in Manhattan. Specifically we'll focus on Chinatown. My understanding is that the Manhattan Chinatown is shrinking whereas the "satellite" communities of Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Flushing, Queens are growing rapidly. This is mainly due to real estate in Manhattan being so expensive, but there are political and social reasons for the change as well.
What is the relationship between the Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn Chinatowns? Do Flushing and Sunset Park operate as satellite of Manhattan's Chinatown? A Taiwanese ITP student informed us most of the Chinese immigrants that have settled in Flushing are of Taiwanese descent and Manhattan's Chinatown is settled by Cantonese speakers from Hong Kong. Borders and boundaries in NY in a real estate and psychological sense should provide us with ample room for exploration and discovery. The issue of satellite communities will likely be an important element in our research.