Conference and Volume On New Immigrant Settlement Patterns

As the foreign-born share of the U.S. population grows, and immigrants increasingly settle in non-traditional areas, how will immigrants’ residential settlement patterns shape their social, economic, and civic integration, and the integration of their children? To address this question, economist Marcia Meyers and geographer Mark Ellis organized a conference on “Local Contexts and the Prospects of the Second Generation” in October of 2006. Participants discussed papers investigating the role of labor market and community conditions in shaping the life chances of immigrants and their offspring. They also considered the role of local patterns of settlement, such as immigrant spatial concentration, proximity to transportation and job opportunities, and the availability of social, ethnic, religious, and other forms of support.