Introduction

 

Project Design

``Vancouver is Manhattan with mountains. It`s a liquid city, a tomorrow city, equal parts India, China, England, France and the Pacific Northwest. It`s the cool North American sibling.` - The New York Times

Vancouver really is a city unlike any other, it is unique for it`s strong sense of nature and cultural diversity. For these reasons and many more, Vancouver is an ideal city to immigrate to. Many people from various countries migrate to Vancouver each year, however the highest demographic are asian immigrants.

My grandmother moved to Vancouver from China 60 years ago; she was drawn to the beautiful scenery and welcoming city. For this reason, I am proud and thankful that Vancouver has such an inclusive and diverse society. Many asian immigrants have strong values and appreciation for education and nature. This study aims to identify factors in Vancouver that would select an ideal location for a Chinese family with children to move to.

This study will use Census Data and Shapefiles of Vancouver landforms in order to create a Multi Criteria Evaluation with Weighted Linear Combination. Distance Factors such as Parks, Schools, Community Centers and Libraries will be identified. The following Canadian Census Population Data will be analyzed: Total number of children living at home; Total population by East Asia immigration status; Total population Chinese language as mother tongue; Total population 15-24 with highschool diploma; and Total population 25-64 with university degree, diploma or certificate.

Although these are just a few factors, I believe they will contribute to a broad analysis of ideal locations to move to. Immigrants feel more comfortable living in neighborhoods with other people who can speak their language and who are also from their homeland. Many parents - asian parents in particular - have high expectations for their children to succeed in school. Living in a neighborhood where the majority of the population have highschool and university degrees could help contribute to their children`s academic success. Also neighborhoods with many children and close proximity to parks, schools, libraries and community centers all contribute to a child`s well being.

Vancouver: a destination

The City of Vancouver is a rapidly developing city which attracts a high number of immigrants each year. The 2006 census shows that there were 831,265 foreign born residents living in Metro Vancouver, representing 40% of the total population. Of this large number, 65% of these immigrants were from Asian countries. Over the period of 1996-2006, 39,790 immgrants arrived from China, which was 78% of the number of immigrants during that time period. Immigration plays a significant role in creating cultural diversity and supporting economic growth within a city. Many of these immigrants are couples with children, and it is these children who will be influential in Vancouver's future.

Mainland Chinese immigrants have had a significant impact in the transformation of Vancouver. A Chinese immigrant couple, Wei and Chen describe how Vancouver is much more welcoming than regions like Europe, ``Canada has opened its arms to all people...they respect your background...you are not anymore a guest. This is your home.``

Daniel Hiebert, a social geographer from UBC states that Chinese migration would ``fuel the creation of `a social geography entirely new to Canada.``` Hiebert has projected that by 2031, a quarter of the population would be Chinese, with increasingly divided racial enclaves. The last 30 years have seen a Chinese property boom which has contributed to unaffordable housing prices and often empty residences with the owners still living overseas. Social family shifts have also occured, where wives and children are living in Vancouver while husbands continue to work and live in China.