Welcome to the neighborhood? Understanding ethnic conflict and its urban planning implications in demographically changing communities

Cities of all sizes and in all regions throughout the United States are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. In this dissertation I examine one possible effect of demographic changes in U.S. neighborhoods—inter-group conflict based along the fault lines of race. I look back to the mid-1970s when a new group moved rapidly into American neighborhoods—the resettlement of refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia after the end of the Indochinese War. Using case study methods, I consider eight cities that received these refugees and the degree of conflict that arose from 1975 through 1995 between the Southeast Asian Americans and their neighbors. I ask two questions: What leads to conflict in communities undergoing demographic change? And, What can local governments do to help prevent conflict from occurring, or manage and dampen it once it does occur? I demonstrate that the traditional explanation for ethnic conflict—job competition—does not explain the clashes that arose in these eight communities. I find that local factors are most important in explaining conflict and in seeking its solutions. These local context variables include the presence of a strong leader managing the resettlement process, coordination among city government, non-profit, and private sectors in integrating newcomers into the local fabric, the history of local race relations, and the urban planning strategy the local government follows in response to demographic change and the conflicts that may follow change. These findings open the door for city officials and planners to take on a pro-active role in preventing racial tensions from reaching the boiling point in their communities, or mediating among competing groups once conflicts do occur.