Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Cities

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Introduction: Immigrant Entrepreneurship Research from a Comparative Perspective

   • Cathy Yang Liu

   Pages 1-9

3. Theories, Patterns, and Contexts of Reception of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-11

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   2. Migrant Entrepreneurship and Urban Development in Global Cities

      • Lauren W. Forbes, Cathy Yang Liu

      Pages 13-45

   3. Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Sydney: Australia’s Leading Global City

      • Jock Collins

      Pages 47-65

   4. Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Hong Kong

      • Biyang Sun, Eric Fong

      Pages 67-96

   5. Comparative Notes on the Context of Reception and Immigrant Entrepreneurship in New York City, Washington, DC, El Paso, Barcelona, and Paris

      • Ernesto Castañeda

      Pages 97-122

4. Changing Spaces, Business Clustering, and Placemaking of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 123-123

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   2. De-Bunking Myths? International Migrants, Entrepreneurship and the Informal Sector in Gauteng, South Africa

      • Sally Ann Peberdy

      Pages 125-151

   3. Migrant Entrepreneurs in Industry Cluster Formation and Innovation: The Case of Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

      • Holi Bina Wijaya, Iwan Rudiarto, Herlina Kurniawati

      Pages 153-173

   4. Business Connections of Migrant Entrepreneurs: Finding a Niche in the Diverse City of Amsterdam

      • Juan Francisco Alvarado Valenzuela

      Pages 175-193

   5. The Impact of Immigrant Entrepreneurship on City Building: Learning from Toronto

      • Zhixi Cecilia Zhuang

      Pages 195-211

5. Global Networks, Local Connections, and Policies of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 213-213

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   2. “Flushing—The Bigger, Better and Downright Sexier Chinatown of New York”: Transnational Growth Coalitions and Immigrant Economies

      • Tarry Hum

      Pages 215-242

   3. Grassroots Globalization in the Twenty-First Century’s First 15 Years: New Immigrant Communities in the Political Economy of Asia and Africa

      • James H. Spencer

      Pages 243-263

   4. Revitalizing Urban America Through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program

      • Edward S. Smith

      Pages 265-277

This book draws on evidence from global cities around the world and explores various dimensions of immigrant entrepreneurship and urban development. It provides a substantive contribution to the existing literature in several ways. First of all, it pursues a comparative approach, with case studies from both the global north and global south, so as to broaden the theoretical framework in this area especially as pertinent to emerging economies. Second, it covers multiple scales, from local community place-making, to urban contexts of reception, to transnational networks and connections. Third, it combines approaches and research methods from numerous disciplines, investigating entry dynamics, trends and patterns, business performance, challenges, and the impact of immigrant entrepreneurship in urban areas. Finally, it pays particular attention to current international experiences regarding urban policies on immigrant entrepreneurship. Given its scope, the book will be an enlightening read for anyone interested in immigration, entrepreneurship and urban development issues around the globe.


As global cities around the world continue to attract both domestic migrants and international migrants to their bustling metropolises, immigrant entrepreneurship is emerging as an important urban phenomenon that calls for careful examination. From Chinatown in New York, to Silicon Valley in San Francisco, to Little Africa in Guangzhou, immigrant-owned businesses are not only changing the business landscape in their host communities, but also transforming the spatial, economic, social, and cultural dynamics of cities and regions.

• Immigrant Entrepreneurship
• Urban Development
• Global Cities
• Ethnic Businesses
• Transnational Networks
• Place-making
• Immigrant Policy
• urban geography and urbanism

• Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA

  Cathy Yang Liu

Dr. Cathy Yang Liu is Professor and Chair of the Public Management and Policy Department at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, where she directs and teaches in the Planning and Economic Development Concentration. She conducts research and publishes widely in the areas of community and economic development, urban labor market and inequality, migration and entrepreneurship, as well as international urban development.


Dr. Liu currently serves as a managing editor for Journal of Urban Affairs and an associate editor for Economic Development Quarterly. She received her Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California and Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

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