Legacy Businesses in Immigrant Neighborhoods

Small businesses provide much more than goods and services. Over time, they become neighborhood anchors and a key source of culture and community—especially for new Americans.

Heritage conservationists are increasingly turning to legacy business programs as economic development strategies to combat rising rents, gentrification, and the erosion of community character, particularly in ethnic and immigrant neighborhoods. In this episode, producer Willa Seidenberg talks with recent USC graduate Xiaoling Fang about her thesis, Legacy Business Program Implementation in American Urban Immigrant Neighborhoods.

Xiaoling explored some of the longstanding small businesses in L.A.’s Chinatown and Little Tokyo neighborhoods, and how legacy business programs, like the ones recently adopted in Los Angeles, can be used as a tool to help culturally significant and beloved businesses survive.

Listen below, and click here for the transcript.

View Transcript

Phoenix Bakery has served Angelenos for more than 84 years. Before moving to the current site on Broadway, it was located at the Central Plaza in Chinatown. Photo by Xiaoling Fang.
A clothing shop in Dynasty Center in Chinatown, selling affordable casual wear and Qi Pro, a type of traditional Chinese dress. Photo by Xiaoling Fang.
Posters displaying the owner’s commitment to social equity issues hung on the door of a gift shop in Chinatown’s Central Plaza. Photo by Xiaoling Fang.

Featuring

Xiaoling Fang

Xiaoling Fang is a recent graduate with a dual-degree in Heritage Conservation and Urban Planning, and a passion for social mobility and community preservation. Currently, she works as an assistant regional planner at the Southern California Association of Governments, where she focuses on transportation planning with a commitment to social equity and environmental sustainability. With her expertise in Heritage Conservation and dedication to sustainable transportation systems, Xiaoling aims to make a positive impact on the region’s social and economic well-being.

Willa Seidenberg

Podcast producer Willa Seidenberg teaches audio journalism and podcasting at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, while pursuing a Master of Heritage Conservation degree at the USC School of Architecture.

A 20-year broadcast journalist and an inaugural fellow with USC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Willa founded Annenberg Radio News, the university’s radio news operation; and Intersections South LA, a reporting lab and community website for South Los Angeles.

With photographer William Short, Willa created two oral history/photo projects: A Matter of Conscience: GI Resistance During the Vietnam War and Memories of the American War: Stories From Viet Nam.