ReviewsThis book is creative, timely, and important. Within the fields of architectural history, urban history, and Asian American history, there is a great need for work that explores the role of migrants and refugees in shaping cities. Across several US cities, Erica Allen-Kim reveals how Vietnamese refugees have spearheaded development projects, owned and managed businesses, and commissioned landscape elements. In doing so, she illuminates critical issues, including the transnational influence in the making of US cities and the divergent--sometimes clashing--perspectives of refugees, developers, and non-Asian city dwellers. Highly recommended.
Dewey Edition23
Table Of ContentIntroduction: Fleeing Backward Chapter 1. Pagodas, Dive Bars, and Storefront Museums Chapter 2. The Social Life of Mini-Malls Chapter 3. Memorials to a Never-Ending War Chapter 4. Downtown Saigon USA Chapter 5. Houston?s Little Saigon: The Architecture of Survival Epilogue. Refuge for All Acknowledgments Notes Index
SynopsisAn in-depth look at the diverging paths of Vietnamese American communities, or ?Little Saigons,? in America?s built environment., An in-depth look at the diverging paths of Vietnamese American communities, or "Little Saigons," in America's built environment. In the final days before the fall of Saigon in 1975, 125,000 Vietnamese who were evacuated or who made their own way out of the country resettled in the United States. Finding themselves in unfamiliar places yet still connected in exile, these refugees began building their own communities as memorials to a lost homeland. Known both officially and unofficially as Little Saigons, these built landscapes offer space for everyday activities as well as the staging of cultural heritage and political events. Building Little Saigon examines nearly fifty years of city building by Vietnamese Americans--who number over 2.2 million today. Author Erica Allen-Kim highlights architecture and planning ideas adapted by the Vietnamese communities who, in turn, have influenced planning policies and mainstream practices. Allen-Kim traveled to ten Little Saigons in the United States to visit archives, buildings, and public art and to converse with developers, community planners, artists, business owners, and Vietnam veterans. By examining everyday buildings--who made them and what they mean for those who know them-- Building Little Saigon shows us the complexities of migration unfolding across lifetimes and generations.