Spectrum of Diversity: Can a Community Be Diverse Without Integration?

Photo Credit: Forbes.com

A recent class discussion spurred the question “what constitutes a diverse community?” In particular, the question focused on the necessity of integration for an area to truly be considered diverse.  Put another way, does just the existence of different people count, or does interaction have to occur for a locale to actually be diverse. I found the question interesting because it made me reconsider my perspective on diversity, broadening the context in which I have always understood it.  Growing up in an area where people of different racial, ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds were constantly in contact and engaging made me view diversity with a lens that ignored de facto segregation.  So while I had never considered the scenario of diversity without integration, the point instantly resonated with me as significant.

The traditional/popular discourse around diversity falls to pure demographics, focusing on the existence of different types of people.  We typically see this in locations being described as racially diverse based on the proportions of various racial groups within the population.  For example, a 2012 Huffington Post article provided results from a study by Brown University, identifying the U.S.’s most and least diverse cities.  For this ranking, cities were scored “by how evenly each city’s population is spread across the five racial groups: Non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics of any race, African-Americans, Asians and an “other” category comprised of Native Americans, Alaska Natives and people of two or more races.” 

In the Brown study, the New York City area (New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island) was identified as the fifth most diverse city, with the following demographic characteristics: 48.9 percent White, 22.9 percent Hispanic, 16.1percent Black, 9.9 percent Asian, and 2.3 percent Other.  However, the question posed from the class discussion would be “but what does this ‘diversity’ actually look like?”, and the question is not without merit.  In a 2012 New York Times piece, Daniel Slotnik explores the question of integration, and cites findings that while New York City is understood to be a diverse population, there actually exists a high level of segregation.  One indicator of the lack of integration is the composition of the public schools—even though the demographics indicate racial diversity, the schools themselves are highly segregated by race, with nearly 40 percent of the schools having student populations that are 70 percent a single race.  Such findings provide precedent for considering diversity at a deeper level than population distributions.  As such, many have taken to developing diversity indices, which not only account for the existence of other groups of people, but also the probability of interacting with people from those groups.

Taking the stance that an integration of various groups makes an area “more diverse” than an area with existing, but segregated groups, it then seems pragmatic for those in community organizing to consider how integration occurs.  During the class discussion which prompted my interest in this topic, one person noted the immense social separation that can exist between the ethnic areas of a city—and I was again brought back to my personal experience, and the social integration I have witnessed in D.C.’s Chinatown.  So what makes Chinatown in D.C. succeed in integrating people across racial, ethnic, and economic lines, where other Chinatown’s stand isolated?  The answer seems to lie in the economic and cultural infrastructure that has been infused into the neighborhood. As part of the introduction to a panel discussion exploring the impact Chinatown has had on D.C., the Urban Land Institute noted:

Fifteen years ago, Chinatown was a completely different place. It wasn’t until the DC government approved its first ever tax-increment finance district in 1999 that development and revitalization came to this neighborhood. And boy, did it come.

Chinese New Year Parade, Chinatown, Washington, D.C.
Photo Credit: Brian Lempin

Surrounding the government’s actions, which encouraged real estate development and the residential draw of the neighborhood, Chinatown boasts significant attractions (including the Verizon Center, National Portrait Gallery, Shakespeare Theatre, and a wide array of restaurants), which enhance its ability to pull visitors and residents from a range of groups.  While the influence of these actions and attractions are significant, it is also important to note the Chinese identity that has remained in the neighborhood.  Having a strong and engaged Chinese community has enabled Chinatown to maintain the heritage that makes it Chinatown, while bringing together a diverse array of citizens.

Even after exploring how integration can further the diversity of a community, as well as one mechanism for enhancing the level of integration, I am still left wondering about the definition of diversity—knowing what makes “diversity” really count.  For example, is the existence of different groups, even if they are clearly segregated, better than a completely homogeneous community? On one side you could argue that the mere existence requires people to at least consider that there are other types of people.  On the other side, you could argue that the segregation may foster misconceptions that are not corrected without interaction, and there is potential for the perpetuation of stereotypes.  Now looking at the other end of what I am dubbing “the diversity spectrum,” does too much integration lead to assimilation or acculturation, potentially enabling the loss of what makes groups different?  There is a lot that could be said about these questions, but I will leave that to another post. 

In addition to the resources included within the post, readers who enjoyed this discussion may be interested in the following:

• San Diego's Population: Diversity and Interactions: This article provides an example of what it looks like to use diversity indices.  The authors refer to both an isolation index, which indicates the likelihood that people of one race will meet others of the same race within their neighborhood, and an interaction index, which indicates the likelihood of meeting someone of another race within their neighborhood. 
• Ethnic Integration Leads to Community Development: The organization Partners for Demographic Change provide a case from Bulgaria that exemplified the position that the mere existence of other groups does not equate to diversity if there is segregation and stereotypes, while also providing information on the organizations reaction to the segregation.
• Defining Diversity: Creating Community: Directed by Tony Papa, this film explores diversity and its meaning in the context of Powell River, a community in British Columbia, Canada.  The story pulls from community members own narratives and seeks to explore how different people have come to Powell River and what their experiences of integration have been.