Creating a sense of place: The Vietnamese-Americans and Little Saigon

Based on a study of Little Saigon, an ethnic enclave in Westminster, Califo rnia, this paper examines the physical, social, symbolic and emotional sign ificance of such places in the lives of immigrants. We focus on three speci fic aspects of the ethnic enclave: architectural elements, everyday social interaction within the enclave, and public ritual events. We highlight how the built architectural environment and the immigrants' social, commercial, and ritual activities interact to create and sustain a sense of place, fos ter community identity, and structure social relations. We conclude that et hnic enclaves constitute an important aspect of an immigrant's place identi ty enabling him/her to simultaneously remain connected to the places left b ehind and yet appropriating and forging significant new place ties. (C) 200 0 Academic Press.