Redevelopment and displacement in Stockton’s first Asian enclaves

CNK Director Paul Ong and researchers was recently featured in a Zocalo article regarding the displacement of original Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino enclaves in Stockton, California, due to urban redevelopments. During the 1960s and ‘70s, the West End Redevelopment Project and CalTrans’ construction of Crosstown Freeway or State Route 4, tore down the vibrant and distinct five by five blocks of these enclaves.

“Losing Little Manila, Chinatown, and Japantown meant an end for community—shuttering gathering places such as stores, cultural centers, and social clubs that had drawn people together,” CNK team asserts, highlighting the devastating socio-cultural effects of these redevelopment efforts.

Recently, Caltrans advanced a revitalization effort called the Stockton Downtown Transformation Project towards these ethnic enclaves. Additionally, many Asian organizations like the Little Manila Rising and the Chinese Benevolent Association have mobilized to organize efforts in rebuilding these communities.

Read the Zocalo article here: What Happened to Stockton’s First Asian Enclaves?