Ethnoburb as a spatiotemporal process: its implications for immigrant settlements

Abstract

The paper complements the visual observation and ethnographic emphasis of much of the literature on ethnoburbs by offering a spatial analysis of suburban immigrant settlements. The research focuses on the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Canada’s most populous urban region. The region is especially well suited to an investigation of the suburban distribution of immigrants because of its exceptionally large and diversified influx of immigrants. The study concentrates on the two largest recent GTHA immigrant groups, Chinese and South Asians, and assesses their spatial evolution between 2006 and 2016. It demonstrates that immigrant suburban spatial patterning can take different spatial forms according to the ethnic groups under consideration—clustering in the case of the Chinese and a blending of clustering and dispersion for the South Asians. It also shows that ethnoburbs come in different guises reflecting the size and composition of different ethnic groups. Another finding concerns the evolution of ethnoburbs. The paper identifies different ethnoburb growth trajectories, but also acknowledges the possibility of a reduced presence of ethnoburbs in the future. Finally, by drawing findings from prior research on ethnoburbs, it elaborates on the gravity effect exerted by large clusters of ethnic retailing, services, and institutions on the different settlements of a given ethnic group.