Ethnoburb - Examples of Ethnoburbs - Vancouver, British Columbia - Surrey, B.C.

Surrey, B.C.

Another predominant ethnoburb filled with temples and shopping centres is in Surrey, BC. Stretching from Newton to Bear Creek Park, from Strawberry Hill to Kennedy Heights, this neighbourhood is a picture of ethnic integration. According to Douglas Todd of The Vancouver Sun, 1/5 of Canada's South Asian community is found in Surrey and many neighbourhoods are "intensely monoethnic." Moreover, census data reveals that two out of three residents of Surrey have South Asian heritage. Census data puts the Greater Vancouver average of South Asian residents at 9.9%. In some parts of Surrey, South Asians account for 70.7% of residents,a higher concentration than Chinese residents in Richmond. Based on Todd's case study of west Newton, people here do not feel segregated by ethnicity. Instead, there is a sense of familiarity, and community cohesiveness, despite Surrey's reputation for violence. This unique sense of place and the resulting geographies of these communities is in part due the high occurrence of family migration practices. These practices are another result of evolving Canadian immigration policies.

Like Richmond, Surrey residents are proud of their contributions to social aspects of their communities. Here, there are numerous Sikh, Hindu and Muslim temples alongside western houses of worship. Festivals in both cities invite thousands of people every year to experience a sampling of different ethnic backgrounds. Surrey hosts a massive Vaisakhi Parade & Celebration during April, the largest outside of India. Richmond hosts many festivals itself, including the Summer Night Market. These festivities, attended by people of every ethnicity, highlight Asian culture and celebrate diversity.

These municipalities are not the only ethnic enclaves in the GVRD. There are a variety of neighbourhoods within Vancouver proper that have formed based on lines of heritage. Chinatown, Little Italy, South Fraser and more are examples of such communities. These occur on a smaller scale than Richmond or Surrey. Mapping of ethnicity in Greater Vancouver shows that populations, although concentrated in some areas, disperse out on a gradient. Research on the subject depicts these landscapes as places of integration and acceptance. Increasing diversity has increased the liveability of this growing metropolis. There are, of course, challenges to multiculturalism. Nonetheless, these are communities with deep roots, unique traditions and shared social identities.