In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the number of ethnic neighborhoods has been increasing, especially since the 1970 s, reflecting the continuing influx of immigrants from around the world. This paper attempts to provide a viewpoint and method to analyze and comprehend these ethnic communities and to disclose the nature of ethnic neighborhoods by focusing on the use of ethnic resources. The urbanization process of Los Angeles and the formation of ethnic neighbor-hoods are first outlined by looking at the downtown area, the periphery of downtown, and the suburbs. The following twelve indicators were proposed for analyzing the ethnic communities: forms of ethnic space, ethnic organization, ethnic symbols, ethnic museums, ethnic festivals, religious facilities, ethnic banking, ethnic food, ethnic grocery stores, ethnic accommodations, ethnic newspapers, and ethnic TV and radio stations. These indicators are the elements that constitute ethnic communities. They are considered ethnic resources, which are organized into two groups. One consists of the re-sources that serve to maintain ethnic communities. The other includes those resources that are utilized not only by mem-bers of an ethnic community but also by the member of the host society. By utilizing these resources, ethnic communities may be able to make contact with the host society, show their presence, and acquire recognition and appreciation. Ac-cordingly, ethnic communities are organized into three groups based on their use of ethnic resources. The first type is the ethnic community that utilizes ethnic resources not only for its members but also for members of the host society. The sec-ond is the ethnic community that utilizes ethnic resources only to maintain itself. Finally, there is the type in which ethnic resources are not well recognized and utilized. The use of ethnic resources may also be chronologically understood. The first phase is the incipient phase with limited use of ethnic resources. In the second phase, ethnic resources are used as adaptive strategies for making economic and spatial adaptations. In the third phase, immigration history and the culture of the homeland are appreciated and restored, and attempts are made to inform the host society of the presence of the unique ethnic community. These phases are shaped by the frameworks of time, place, and immigration processes.

View full abstract

This paper examines the probability of regional revitalization based on the Acadian heritage in the Maritime Provinces, Canada. In particular, the study focuses on the recent designation of Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral (Cathédrale de Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption) as a national historic site. Data compiled from the Directory of Federal Historic Designa-tions on the website of Parks Canada were analyzed in addition to field surveys conducted in 2017 and 2019 . Although the system of national historic sites and designations in Canada was initiated in 1919 , particular attention has been paid to the history of Aboriginal people, women, and ethnocultural communities since the 1990 s. The Acadians are a French-speaking minority group in the Maritime Provinces, which consist of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Until recently, the majority of the national historic sites with regard to their heritage were the ruins built in the period of the French colonial regime or European conflict in North America before the mid- 18 th century. In 2017 , when Canada celebrated the 150 th anniversary of Confederation, the Government of Canada announced the designation of Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Moncton, New Brunswick, as a national historic site. The plaque unveiling ceremony was held on August 15 , 2019 , during the 6 th World Acadian Congress. Built in 1939 – 1940 , the cathedral has been regarded as a symbol of the resilience of the Acadians, who experienced difficulty as a minority group for a long time. Although the designation enhanced the value of the cathedral as a cultural heritage, it was reborn as a digital museum featuring Acadian history using the newest technology, such as projection mapping. Thus, the cathedral is expected to contribute to regional revitalization, through modes like roots tourism by Acadian descendants who live throughout North America.

View full abstract

This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between the land use of Brick Lane and the town centre policy and branding efforts of Tower Hamlets council in London. Since the late of the 1990 s, Tower Hamlets council has branded Brick Lane as Banglatown and made a better tourist attraction and more jobs for British Bengali. In 2019, the northern part of Brick Lane became a cluster of cultural and creative activities and a variety of night-time economy activities. And street arts attracted many tourists from England. But since 2013 , in the southern part, businesses of Bengali have decreased, while many sorts of ethnic restaurants and the number of upscale specialty shops has increased. It is possible to say Brick Lane has been in the process of retail gentrification. Brick Lane attracts visitors from England but Tower Hamlets council situates Brick Lane as the district level centre, which meets local needs, in the hierarchy.

View full abstract

This paper focuses on the Book Fair held every December in Durango in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi, Spain, and aims to clarify the revitalization process promoted by the festival for The Basque speakers’ community and for their region, the Basque Country, describing features of ethnic resources and ethnic capitals in the festival, and the rela-tion with them and the memory engraved in the region. The Book Fair of Durango (Durangoko Azoka) was celebrated for the first time in 1965 and, nowadays, is evaluated as the most important cultural festival in the Basque Country. Almost all of visitors are the Basque speakers who live in the Basque Country, and they visit the book fair almost every year as frequently as pilgrimage. The key organizer is the Association of Gerediaga, which plays a role of social entrepreneurship connecting the book fair with the visitors. The denomination of the Association “Gerediaga” dates back to the Medieval Age when the Durangaldea maintained the political autonomy and its political center was “Gerediaga.” The Association takes the symbolic place name and plays key role for the Basque speaker’s community. A collective memory of the Basque people which has been engraved in Durango links between them and the revitalization of the Basque Country as an imag-ined nation of the Basque people.

View full abstract

Austria is home of a wide variety of ethnic groups, and businesses that use ethnic culture as resource are developing. For example, Naschmarkt, one of the major ethnic markets in Vienna, makes a profit by promoting its own culture. Showing their own culture increases sense of belonging to their groups, while it should make a chance to understand and coexist with their host society. However, groups that are subject to discrimination, such as refugees and Roma, have limited opportunities to promote their own culture. How can they utilize and promote their own ethnic culture to change the situation of discrimination and injustice? This paper examines the potential of ethnic resources for Roma in relation to their social integration.

View full abstract

Although numerous studies have focused on ethnic precincts as a resource of urban tourism and area valorization, little attention has been paid to the global aspects of ethnic cultures in such places. This paper aims to clarify the transformation in Koreatown in Osaka under the global trend of the Korean wave, or Hallyu, and the deteriorating political relationship between Japan and Korea. The following findings were obtained based on the field and questionnaire surveys. First, the newly opened stores are different from the existing ones regarding the kinds of products being sold. While the former sell Korean cosmetics or takeaway foods popular in contemporary Korea to tourists, the latter sell traditional Ko-rean foods or goods. The former type of store also emerges in the area adjacent to Koreatown due to the shortage of space for rent in the precinct. Especially in Koreatown, the land price or rent has drastically increased because of the growing number of newly opened stores, and its effect has expanded beyond the original ethnic precinct. Second, the preference of tourists, especially young females, for contemporary Korean cultures is based on social media or internet platforms. They favor the products offered by newly opened stores that are popular in such media and tend to upload photographs of those products to social media. They have little interest in the political problems surrounding Korea and Japan or the history of Koreatown concerning migrants from colonized Korea and their descendants. However, a con-siderable number of young tourists desire to learn about such problems or history. Third, we should note the two aspects of the values of the ethnic precinct: economic and social. While the influx of tourists causes problems related to overcrowding, existing storekeepers recognize that the present situation can develop the attractiveness of Koreatown as a whole. They also attempt to prepare facilities like public lavatories to increase tourist satisfaction. In contrast, shopkeepers do not actively engage in the promotion of social values that can contribute to mutual understanding in a multicultural society. This is because such values have been inevitably connected to circumstances such as historical discrimination in Japan or political rivalry derived from the division of the Korean Peninsula. However, these two types of values make Koreatown special and attractive in their respective ways, and each is an essen-tial component of the uniqueness of the precinct. Thus, we should observe whether the authenticity of tourist experiences in Koreatown will enable not only the valorization of the precinct but also an enhanced understanding of ethnic diversity and the Japan-Korea relationship in the future.

View full abstract

Since the 1990 s, “new Chinatowns” have been constructed in various parts of Japan. There were some projects discon-tinued at the planning stage. Investigating the success factors of Yokohama Chinatown, which was a model for “new China-towns,” this paper considers the requirements for utilizing ethnic resources in the regional revitalization within Japan. First, using four examples of the constructed indoor Chinatowns: Tachikawa Chinatown, Daiba Small Hong Kong, Senri Chinatown, and Osu Chinatown, I examine the background and characteristics of each establishment, and the processes and factors of closure. Next, using other examples of the incomplete indoor Chinatowns which have dissolved at the con-ceptual stage: Sendai Chinatown, Niigata Chinatown, Sapporo Chinatown, Tomakomai Chinatown, and Fukuoka 21 st Cen-tury Chinatown, I examine the conceptual processes and problems. Based on these studies, I consider Yokohama Chinatown’s transition to a tourist destination and its background as a suc-cessful example of the utilization of ethnic resources in the regional revitalization. As a result of the above, I conclude that the establishment of a cooperative relationship between the ethnic group, the host society, and the government is indispen-sable for the regional revitalization utilizing ethnic resources.

View full abstract