Summer in New York (2): Diversity

New York is the quintessential Global City. It has acquired this status not just because it is the financial centre of the United States and the entire world but also because it is a city that embraces migrants. This has led to a remarkable diversity reflected in its built environment, various ethnic enclaves and neighbourhoods, which has both enriched its culture as well as its economy. Because of this it is indeed the centre of the world.

Manhattan is of course the most recognisable of the city’s five boroughs having very distinct spatial characteristics. Consider that it is arranged on a grid-like street system, which may lead to sameness and a homogeneous environment. Yet remarkably even within this regimented arrangement there is a clear character to each neighbourhood, expressive of various ethnic and professional groups who live there. Moreover, this character becomes even more visible as one walks across its various streets and avenues, encountering a cacophony of people. In this way the city’s diversity is expressed spatially.

Last summer I attended a workshop organised within a semi-outdoor space, known as the BMW-Guggenheim Lab. The setting aims at exploring new concepts and designs for city life through various events, games and experiments. Located in lower Manhattan, the event takes place in an empty street corner and passes between two buildings. For this particular workshop, titled “What’s next” and was moderated by Columbia University professor Clara Irazabal, proposals were discussed for re-designing the lot on which the lab is located. What made this even more remarkable is that anyone could participate in this event, including residents in the area who wanted to have a say in how their surrounding are designed and planned.

Following this workshop, we went on a tour of the neighbourhood – led by a Spanish architect and graduate student; other participants included two couples from Peru and Venezuela – all residents of New York City. This tour took us through a public housing project, were we witnessed a block party organised by residents; a witchcraft store selling all sorts of things related to sorcery; and finally a stop at a restaurant were we had coffee and tasted delicious churros – a Spanish pastry.

After this brief stop we continued through the Bowery, a formerly run-down street, undergoing at the moment gentrification – an urban renewal process. For instance it includes a museum of modern art, but signs of dereliction are still present such as a graffiti covered abandoned building. We were on our way to the East Village to visit a famous store selling rice pudding, a quintessential Middle Eastern desert, but as it turns out is also popular in Venezuela. And upon arrival at this store, it seems to be extremely popular with New Yorkers as well. In true New York like fashion the desert has been modified to include an endless variety of flavors transforming it from its humble origins.

These scenes do suggest an important aspect of what makes a city such as New York a truly global city: the diversity of its inhabitants and the extent to which it has managed to absorb its migrants and turn their presence to its advantage. Rather than viewing them as a transient workforce they are a vital part of the city’s growth.

A 2010 report by the City of New York titled “The role of immigrants in the New York City Economy” points put the positive contribution made by immigrants. For instance it is noted that “successive waves of immigration created a melting pot of cultures that left its mark on the city’s history and neighbourhoods.”

Using extensive census data the report shows that immigrants have been a major factor in the city’s recent economic growth. In fact the number of foreign-born population more than doubled from 1970 till 2008, to reach 3 million, representing 36.4 per cent of the city’s population and 43 per cent of its entire workforce. Additionally in 2008 immigrants accounted for $215 billion in economic activity – opening up of businesses, employing people, etc - representing about 32 per cent of its gross domestic product. Also, foreign-born residents accounted for 60 per cent of all homeowners in 2008. Immigrants are represented in all professions and while they dominate in low-wage occupation (taxi drivers for example) they are well represented in the health care professions and high-end occupations such as engineering, academia and the financial sector.

Immigrants are from 148 different countries although 52 per cent come from 10 countries: Dominican Republic, China, Jamaica, Mexico, Guyana, Ecuador, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia and Korea.

So what does all of this tell us? First, the importance and significance of statistics and census data – and their accessibility; the above report is available online for all to read. Second, the city’s greatness derives not just from the presence of migrants but also from a policy that encourages them to stay, to set up roots and to form attachment to the neighborhoods were they live.

This in turn leads to these diverse neighborhoods and the remarkable richness of its urban environment.

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