Beyond the Cosmopolis: Sustaining Hyper-Diversity in the Suburbs of Peel Region, Ontario

Abstract

Globalization has increased the flow of transnational migrants into many European and North American cities. These shifting socio-demographic patterns have resulted in the rapid development of ‘cosmopolitan’ urban centres where difference and diversity are ubiquitous (Sandercock, 2003). However, as ethnic enclaves form outside the urban core in suburban communities, there is uncertainty about whether cultural homogeneity is desirable or sustainable in a multicultural country. Indeed, planning communities for increasing diversity and difference will remain, what Leonie Sandercock (2004) calls, “one of the greatest tasks for planners of the 21st century”. Thus, this article uses the theory of hyper-diversity to illuminate how immigrants’ interactions with their local suburban community represents cultural pluralism and diversity beyond ethnicity. Specifically, this study explores differing attitudes, activities and lifestyles among diverse immigrant populations in the Region of Peel, one of the fastest growing and most culturally diverse areas in Canada. Focus groups with 60 immigrant youth and 55 immigrant adults were conducted to qualitatively capture perspectives and experiences in ethnic enclaves. The findings highlight the existence of attitudes in favor of multicultural lifestyles, activities that take newcomers beyond the borders of their enclaves, and lifestyles that require additional infrastructure to support sustainability of immigration in the suburbs. In conclusion, this article adds to the debate on cultural pluralism and ‘homogeneous’ ethnic enclaves by using the emergent concept of hyper-diversity as a way to think about the future sustainability of suburbs in an era of global migration.

COVID-19 and “the trinity of boredom” in public spaces: urban form, social distancing and digital transformation

“…It is associated with the presence of different groups of citizens in one place, as each group has completely different attitudes from the other groups, and this is what naturally imposes different types of activities that are appropriate for each ethnic group. These differences reflect each group's nature and lifestyle (Dean et al ., 2018; Peterson, 2016).…”

The Negotiation of Space and Rights: Suburban Planning with Diversity

“…There is a need to expand the understanding of diversity and use it to interrogate its connection with equity and social justice. Common suburban planning issues related to the growing ethno-cultural diversity are also reflected in the following examples in Toronto's suburbs: 1) immigrants and racialized people being excluded from planning decisions; 2) lacking social infrastructure that is ethnic-oriented; 3) tensions with segregated and incompatible land uses; 4) using space in ways that attract municipal opposition; and 5) expressing cultural identity within a planning context that does not always consider cultural values (Dean et al, 2018;Hackworth & Stein, 2012;Lo et al, 2015;Poppe & Young, 2015;Tasan-Kok & Ozogul, 2017;Walton-Roberts, 2011;Zhuang, 2019).…”

“…Immigrant suburban settlements often manifest in noticeable ethnic landscapes that feature not only onestop shopping destinations offering cultural goods and food, entertainment, and personal and business services, but also ethnic institutions (e.g., places of worship, schools, community centres) acting as community hubs. Despite this now-established settlement trajectory and emerging research about the rise of immigrant suburbs in Canada and abroad (Dean, Regier, Patel, Wilson, & Ghassemi, 2018;Farrell, 2016;Gao-Miles, 2017;Harrison, Moyo, & Yang, 2012;Keil, 2017;Li, 1998Li, , 2009Lo, Preston, Basu, Anisef, & Wang, 2015;Lung-Amam, 2015;Qadeer, Agrawal, & Lovell, 2010;Tzaninis, 2020;Wang & Zhong, 2013;Watson & Saha, 2013;Zhuang, 2015Zhuang, , 2019Zhuang, , 2020Zhuang & Chen, 2017), how ethnic communities influence and negotiate space, (re)define place, and (re)shape community in Canadian suburbs remains unclear. In addition, the role of municipalities in engaging in multiculturalism and managing ethnocultural diversity is relatively unexplored (Fincher, Iveson, Leitner, & Preston, 2014).…”

Rural futures? Mapping newcomers' hopes about potential resettlement in Canadian rural areas

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