Immigrant Landscapes
Globalization Next Door
Immigration to the US is approaching historic levels not seen since the early decades of the 20th century, but the mostly Latin American and Asian immigrants of today settle in different cities, towns, and neighborhoods than previous waves of immigrants from Europe. These "new destinations" are sometimes surprised to find themselves becoming global communities in a short span of time, yet their newest residents can be a powerful force for revitalization in their economies and landscapes.
Immigrant Pastoral: Midwestern Landscapes and Mexican-American Neighborhoods Paperback edition now available! Also available in library hardcover edition and e-book A full-length monograph from the Routledge Research in Landscape and Environmental Design series. Available from Routledge and Amazon. |
Immigrant Pastoral examines the growth of new Mexican heritage communities in the Midwest through the physical form of their cities and
neighborhoods. The landscapes of these New Communities contrast with nearby small cities that are home to longstanding Mexican-American
communities, where different landscapes reveal a history of inequality of opportunity. Together these two landscape types illustrate how inequality
can persist or abate through comprehensive descriptions of the three main types of Midwestern Mexican-American landscapes: Established
Communities, New Communities, and Mixed Communities. Each is described in spatial and non-spatial terms, with a focus on one example city.
Specific directives about design and planning work in each landscape type follow these descriptions, presented in case studies of hypothetical landscape architectural projects. Subsequent chapters discuss less common Midwestern Mexican-American landscape types and their opportunities for design and planning, and implications for other immigrant communities in other places.
This story of places shaped by immigrants new and old, and the reactions of other residents to their arrival is critical to the future of all cities, towns,
and neighborhoods striving to weather the economic transformations and demographic shifts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The challenges facing these cities demand the recognition and appreciation of their multicultural assets, in order to craft a bright and inclusive future.
neighborhoods. The landscapes of these New Communities contrast with nearby small cities that are home to longstanding Mexican-American
communities, where different landscapes reveal a history of inequality of opportunity. Together these two landscape types illustrate how inequality
can persist or abate through comprehensive descriptions of the three main types of Midwestern Mexican-American landscapes: Established
Communities, New Communities, and Mixed Communities. Each is described in spatial and non-spatial terms, with a focus on one example city.
Specific directives about design and planning work in each landscape type follow these descriptions, presented in case studies of hypothetical landscape architectural projects. Subsequent chapters discuss less common Midwestern Mexican-American landscape types and their opportunities for design and planning, and implications for other immigrant communities in other places.
This story of places shaped by immigrants new and old, and the reactions of other residents to their arrival is critical to the future of all cities, towns,
and neighborhoods striving to weather the economic transformations and demographic shifts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The challenges facing these cities demand the recognition and appreciation of their multicultural assets, in order to craft a bright and inclusive future.
Published papers
Dieterlen, Susan. (2012). "The Workers' Camp versus Main Street: Then and Now in the Mexican-American Neighborhoods of the Non-Metro Midwest." Journal of Urbanism 5(2/3): 171-191.
(Note: Content in both full text versions below is the same. Formatting varies between the open access (post-print) version and the journal's final published version.)
Dieterlen, Susan. (2012). "The Workers' Camp versus Main Street: Then and Now in the Mexican-American Neighborhoods of the Non-Metro Midwest." Journal of Urbanism 5(2/3): 171-191.
(Note: Content in both full text versions below is the same. Formatting varies between the open access (post-print) version and the journal's final published version.)
Dieterlen, Susan. (2014). “Hidden in Plain Sight: Latina/o Landscape Types in the Midwest.” Journal of Urbanism, DOI:10.1080/17549175.2013.875055
(print version forthcoming in 2014).
(Note: Content in both full text versions below is the same. Formatting varies between the open access (post-print) version and the journal's final published version.)
(Note: Content in both full text versions below is the same. Formatting varies between the open access (post-print) version and the journal's final published version.)
Recent conference presentations on immigrant landscapes
Dieterlen, Susan. (2016) “The Couch on the Porch and Contested Terrain.” Abstract for paper presentation as part of “Image Matters: Perceptions of the City” symposium, published in Innovation: Shifting Ground: 47th Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association. With Georgia Lindsay (session chair), Angela Loder, and Victoria Derr.
Dieterlen, Susan. “Whose Mall? A Case Study and Critique of the Revitalization of Indianapolis’s Ethnic Retail Hub.” Abstract for paper presentation published in Emergent Placemaking: Proceedings of 43rd Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association.
Dieterlen, Susan. “Twenty-First Century Frontier: Immigration, Mexican-Americans, and the Landscape of the Non-Metro Midwest.” Abstract for paper presentation published in Finding Center: Landscape + Values: Proceedings of the 2012 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Annual Conference, March 28-31, 2012.
Dieterlen, Susan. (2011) “Types as Research Method: Classifying Midwestern Mexican-American Landscapes.” Abstract for paper presentation invited for “Place Types I: In Research and Design Analysis” symposium, in Make No Little Plans: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association.
Dieterlen, Susan, Willow Lung Amam, and Paula Villagra-Islas. (2011) “Multicultural Landscapes: Findings from the EDRA40 Workshop and Strategies for Inclusive Design Research and Practice.” Abstract for paper presentation published in Make No Little Plans: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association.
Dieterlen, Susan. (2010) “Neighborhood Landscape Fragmentation and Urban Revitalization: Mexican-Americans in Lansing, Michigan.” Abstract for paper presentation published in Policy and the Environment: Establishing Ground Rules through Environmental Design Research, Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association.
Dieterlen, Susan. (2010) “The Types Framework in the Study of Midwestern Mexican-American Landscapes.” Abstract for paper presentation invited for “Place Types I: Categories for Making and Understanding the World” symposium, in Policy and the Environment: Establishing Ground Rules through Environmental Design Research, Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Environmental Design Research Association.