Searching for an Authentic Chinatown: Studentification, Intangible Heritage, and Contentious Space

Toronto’s Chinatown West is currently undergoing socio-spatial restructuring through intertwined processes of redevelopment, gentrification, and commercial change. In this Major Paper, I examine how the presence of urban universities are triggering much of this transformation. Building on recent global debates about universities and the role of students in neighborhood change, I unpack the effect of higher concentration of students on residential typologies and commercial change; and second, the politics of studentification in Chinatown West. Our findings indicate that vertical studentification occurs on both the residential and commercial boundaries of Chinatown. Similarly, an analysis of changes in the commercial orientation and employment patterns of Chinatown shows a move away from employment in retail and offices, into food services and part-time job opportunities catering to youth. Finally, we discuss how the growing intake of international students–particularly from China– in proximity to Chinatown creates new tensions and diverse reactions to neighbourhood change within the existing Chinese community. While some entrepreneurial community members, particularly those representing the business community are pro-growth, other long-term residents are concerned about the displacement caused by studentification and organize to contest new developments. The community responses from the long-term Chinese residents and other members of Chinese diaspora raise important questions on the future of Chinatown, who is Chinatown for, and how might a historically marginalized neighborhood be preserved in a rapidly growing city. The findings also highlight the interconnected nature between higher education institutions (HEIs) and their locality, and the volatility of student-focused neighborhoods to urban politics.