Joe Santoro

The Impact of the Foreign Chinese Migration on Urban America 1960-2000 Joe Santoro

In recent years numerous cities and law enforcement agencies across the country have been experiencing a change in their communities. The type of crime is different; business signs are in languages other than English; people in the community are changing ethnically; shopping centers are changing because of the type and size of stores; traffic on surface streets and business districts is congested; things just don't seem to be as they were 1n the past and are changing too rapidly to understand and make appropriate long-range plans. Finally, citizens and city officials are asking themselves and their neighbors "Where did these Chinese people come from? Where are we going as a community? And what must we do today to plan for, and develop, a socially desirable community in the future, considering the social and cultural differences of the new citizens?"

The book identifies demographic and cultural issues that are impacting the nation and California. A case study is made of the City of Monterey Park which allows the writer to forecast the impact of the Chinese migration for the year 2000 and identifies future issues that will allow local government to pro¬actively plan for the impact and the changes that may logically occur. A summary of the sections of the book follows: