***All data displayed in charts and graph above acquired from: http://aaldef.org/Chinatown%20Then%20and%20Now%20AALDEF.pdf
(Originally retrieved from US Census Bureau- American Community Survey)
For the past decades, Manhattan’s Chinatown has acted as a gateway for many Asian immigrants, primarily those of Chinese descent. The largest flood of immigrants came after 1942, which is the year that the Exclusion Act of 1882 was lifted. However, Chinese immigrants began migrating in significant numbers since the 19th century. After coming to America during the Gold Rush and facing hostility from white laborers, many Chinese immigrants migrated and settled along the East Coast and specifically in New York. Eventually, as areas became more heavily dense with Chinese immigrants and workers, Chinatown was formed. Since the beginning of Chinese immigration, employers have taken advantage of the opportunity and hired Chinese workers to work in the garment business, laundry business, or in restaurants for less than the minimum wage.
Although Chinatown has been known to be one of the popular sites for public housing, it has also been the site for rezoning and redevelopment. Since the mid 1900’s, Chinatown has been a target for urban renewal projects, which has had an enormous impact on the people living there. Many housing projects and small businesses have been destroyed or gentrified to open up space for larger businesses, luxurious housing, and these undesirable urban projects. For example, in 1965, the city government claimed a sizeable piece of public land known as the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area. As a result, many tenement buildings that were affordable to the population were destroyed. Though there are ongoing plans on what to use the piece of land for, the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area has remained vacant for the past four decades, raising controversy over its purpose. More recently, Chinatown has been affected by the decisions made regarding the areas surrounding it. In 2008, because the New York City Council approved rezoning in East Village-Lower East Side, luxury developments have been pushed into Chinatown, and some of these new buildings can be seen on Chrystie St.
