A Portrait of Inclusion in Chicago Area Ethnoburbs
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INCLUSIVE ETHNOBURBIA? A PORTRAIT OF INCLUSION IN CHICAGO AREA ETHNOBURBS BY BENJAMIN C. CHENG DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013 Doctoral Committee: Professor David Wilson, Chair Associate Professor Julie Cidell Associate Professor Stacy Harwood Professor Dick Simpson, University of Illinois at Chicago ABSTRACT This dissertation studies inclusion in Chicago area ethnoburbs. The beginning point for this study is geographer Wei Li’s conception of ethnoburbs, which are multiracial, multiethnic suburbs that haved formed in large metropolitan areas across North America in recent decades. My study asks a straightforward question about how newly arrived racial and ethnic groups in these ethnoburbs are broadly included within the exisiting political and civic structures in these communities, a question not extensively explored in the literature on ethnoburbs. In order to measure inclusion, I develop a framework that determines the degree to which local governances in these ethnoburbs are inclusive of racial and ethnic groups in terms of three dimensions of local policymaking: Political incorporation, housing equality, and programs and policies. As I am inherently skeptical that the increased presence of racial and ethnic groups in the suburbs necessarily signals inclusion, a primary aim of this study is to develop a newer understanding about how local governances exclude these groups in the post-Civil Rights era of today. To do this, I draw upon theories and studies from related social science disciplines in order to investigate what new forms of exclusion exist today at the local level in an age when explicit forms of discrimination – like redlining and restrictive covenants – are illegal. I apply these insights when studying my two case study sites of Berwyn and Skokie, two Chicago area ethnoburbs that have transitioned from being overwhelming White communities in the 1980’s and early 1990’s to diverse suburbs today. My study observes how local governances in Berwyn and Skokie publically embrace their newfound diversity as a strength of their respective communities and proffer an increasing number of inclusion-oriented programs and policies. However, this rhetoric of inclusion belies a more complicated reality where racial and ethnic groups are not fully represented in local policymaking, where racialized conflicts occasionally erupt over local ordinances, and where some longtime residents resist developing more meaningful forms of inclusion. In the end, I assert that a number of factors that include a national shift in racial attitudes towards a post-racial outlook and the increased economic stresses placed on inner-ring suburbs like Berwyn and Skokie all militate against local governances in ethnoburbs actively striving towards more inclusion. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the people whose generosity of spirit and time enabled me to finish this dissertation. First, I want to recognize my interview subjects – the political and civic leaders in Berwyn and Skokie – who carved out time from their busy lives to sit down for face- to-face interviews. Sensing the dedication and passion these men and women had for their communities during our talks was truly an inspiration, as I came to understand the unseen hard work required for diverse communities to work in the face of racism and discrimination. I have heard this “hard work” described as akin to seeing how the elegance of ducks gliding along the surface of a pond belies the reality that every duck must furiously paddle its legs underwater to propel itself foward, something not visible to an observer above water. Next, I would like to thank the trust and support of those in the Department of Geography at the University of Illinois. In particular, my advisor and dissertation chair, David Wilson, has been a constant source of moral and intellectual support. His admonishments for me to conduct research that is cutting edge and that champions the plight of vulnerable populations in our cities and suburbs has been invaluable to my education in urban geography. Dr. Tom Bassett and Dr. Julie Cidell also played pivotal roles: My early classroom experiences with Dr. Bassett impressed upon me what a “geographic” perspective is as well as the oft forgotten voice of the Global South in globalization. Dr. Cidell served on my dissertation committee from the outset, and was ceaselessly avaible to me when I queried her about problems regarding research design and methods in addition to her extensive knowledge about governance and her native Chicagoland. My indebtedness also extends to two other members of my dissertation committee: Dr. Stacy Harwood graciously agreed to serve on my committee at a late stage of my proposal defense, and her conviction that my topic was important and her expertise regarding immigrant integration was invaluable to the development of this study. Also, I am thankful to Dr. Dick Simpson for agreeing to serve on this committee from a distance (Chicago). His high standards iii for rigor in research design and knowledge about governance – especially the nitty-gritty of politics in the Chicago area – are reflected in this dissertation. Other University of Illinois faculty members, past and present, I would like to thank are Gail Hawisher (English), Nancy Abelmann (East Asian Languages and Culture), Karen Kelsky (Anthropology), Moon-Kie Jung (Sociology), Christy Lleras (Human and Community Development) and Christian Sandvig (Communications) for their various forms of intellectual inspiration and support that have contributed to the development of this dissertation . My thankfulness extends to members of Graduate Bible Study who have provided much needed friendship and spiritual support while I was toiling in the cornfields. There are too of them to mention here. My parents (Donald and Cecilia Cheng) were not only fully supportive of my choice to pursue a doctorate in geography but also a source of inspiration: I can trace my fascination with inclusion to my parents’ experiences as Chinese immigrants living and raising my sister and me in Houston, Texas during the late 1970’s and 1980’s, a time when the city has far more inhospitable to those who were different. I thank my sister (Angela) for her moral support during my graduate school career as well as her husband, Johnny, and their terrifically cute children: Kenzie, Toby, and Jesse. I want to thank my spouse, Fanny Lee, for always being supportive of my endeavors and for believing in me. Fanny has always been there for me, from listening to my (sometimes extensive) rants about graduate school and policy issues, to lifting my spirits when I was down, to dutifully praying for me, and for being the best partner I possibly could have found. Lastly, I would like to thank God for the ways in which His graciousness enabled me to finish this dissertation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 Research Design and Questions ........................................................................................................... 5 Conceptual Framework ...................................................................................................................... 14 Site Selection ..................................................................................................................................... 16 A Brief History of Berwyn and Skokie .............................................................................................. 20 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Dissertation Outline ........................................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................ 36 Changing Suburbia: From Anti-Suburbia to a Diverse Suburbia ......................................................... 37 Origins of the Ethnoburb: Ethnic Enclaves and Spatial Assimilation .................................................. 41 Ethnoburbs Today: A Celebration of Ethnic Community and Suburban Landscapes ........................... 46 A Review of Inclusion in Suburbia .................................................................................................... 52 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 55 CHAPTER 3: A METROPOLITAN PORTRAIT OF SUBURBAN INCLUSION ................................. 57 Suburban Growth .............................................................................................................................. 57 Population Characteristics of Suburban Residents .............................................................................. 61 Suburban Typologies ......................................................................................................................... 66 Suburban Inclusion Within The Chicago Metropolitan Area .............................................................. 69 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................