Latinos are currently the second-largest ethnic group demographically within the United States. By the year 2050 they are projected to number nearly 133 million, or approximately one third of the country’s total population. As the urban component of this population increases, the need for resources to support it will generate new cultural and economic stresses.
 
Latino Placemaking and Planning offers a pathway to define, analyze, and evaluate the role that placemaking can have with respect to Latino communities in the context of contemporary urban planning, policy, and design practices. Using strategically selected case studies, Jesus J. Lara examines how Latinos contribute to the phenomenon of urban revitalization through the (re)appropriation of physical space for their own use and the consequent transformation of what were previously economically downtrodden areas into vibrant commercial and residential centers.
 
The book examines the formation of urban cultures and reurbanization strategies from the perspective of Latino urbanism and is divided into four key sections, which address (1) emerging new urban geographies; (2) the power of place and neighborhood selection; (3) Latino urbanism case studies; and (4) lessons and recommendations for “reurbanizing” the city. Latino Placemaking and Planning illustrates the importance of placemaking for Latino communities and provides accessible strategies for planners, students, and activists to sustainable urban revitalization.

Jesus J. Lara is an associate professor of city and regional planning in the Knowlton School at the Ohio State University. He is the co-editor of Remaking Metropolis: Global Challenges of the Urban Landscape.

"Lara’s case studies of Latino placemaking show Latinos playing an unprecedented role in stabilizing declining urban and suburban communities. During a time when discussion about ethnicity and immigration is so polarized, it is vital to recognize the decisive transformative role played by Latinos in American cities."—Gerardo Francisco Sandoval, Journal of Urban Affairs

“Lara’s work on Latino urbanism both contributes to the rapid evolution of the field and strengthens an epistemic community around it. With this book, Lara both meta-analyzes the field and propels it forward.”—Clara Irazábal-Zurita, Director of Latinx and Latin American Studies, University of Missouri–Kansas City

“A solid contribution to emerging Latino urbanism scholarship. Lara frames the issues and context well to demonstrate positive examples of Latino placemaking, particularly the way Latinos are revitalizing older commercial corridors and encouraging economic and cultural vitality.”—Gerardo Francisco Sandoval, co-editor of Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation: Biking for All?