Berkeley Planning Journal

Wei Li’s recent book, Ethnoburb: The New Ethnic Community in Urban America proves beyond a doubt that the American suburbs are not what they used to be. This account of the new geography of immigrants and minorities over the latter half of the 20th century argues that a new type of ethnic community has emerged, which is not simply an urban ethnic enclave in suburban dress. Rather, Li argues that this new community differs socially, economically, and politically from its urban counterpart and has evolved from separate factors, including a series of international, national and local changes favoring the suburban migration of wealthy, highly educated and skilled new immigrants.