Feature Senior Project: Chinatown Basketball Arena 

By Rong Zhao Feng
June 5, 2024

 Feature Senior Project:  Chinatown Basketball Arena

As a person who lives in Chinatown, the thing that I am most concerned about recently is the construction of a basketball court in Chinatown. The reasons for construction are the deterioration of the living environment, increase in commercial value and frequent accidents. Following the lessons learned from Washington, D.C., many Chinese people opposed this act and organized a demonstration because many problems exist. Some of the problems with the basketball court include that original residents of Chinatown would leave, prices for everything would go up, and citizens would feel less safe. This incident is worthy of discussion.

Part 1: Negative Effects of the Basketball Arena

1.1 Living environment deteriorates

Basketball courts consume a lot of land resources and lead to the deterioration of the living environment.Originally, Chinatown was a very comfortable place. People often walk and jog nearby, and children play in the nearby park. When people come to Chinatown to watch the game, the traffic will produce a lot of dust, which will have a big impact on the air and people will no longer be willing to go out. Secondly, “the NFL’s Director of Environmental Programs told Front Office Sports that a typical NFL game generates about 35 tons of waste, while the amount of waste at the Super Bowl may increase by up to 50%” (Pyzyk). Although Chinatown has many restaurants and snack bars, the overall environment is quite clean. If the stadium is built, Chinatown will produce a lot of garbage, which will seriously affect the environment of Chinatown and lead to the proliferation of pests and bacteria. When there is too much garbage, it takes a lot of money to hire people to deal with it. This would be a waste of government money allocated to Chinatown. Originally, this money could help many people in need. Finally, "Whether played or watched, sports have the potential to have a huge environmental footprint in terms of the use and abuse of natural resources" (W. Schmidt). The production of large amounts of greenhouse gasses will exacerbate the greenhouse effect, leading to the occurrence of extreme weather. In 2022, a winter storm swept across the central and eastern United States, causing severe negative impacts on communities, infrastructure, and economic activity. The United States is a big food country, and climate instability will pose a great threat to agriculture and affect the quality of residents' food. Therefore, the creation of a large carbon footprint will have an indirect impact on residents. Not only for the sake of the overall environment of the United States, but also for the sake of the small families of the Chinese people, a stadium should not be built in Chinatown.

1. 2 Community culture changes

Society will change because Chinese culture will not be taken seriously. Taking the residents' march as an example, “Opponents of the arena worry that the development will destroy the cultural character of Chinatown while displacing long-term residents and businesses” (Moselle).  Their opinions make sense, Philadelphia's Chinatown is a city famous for Chinese food and an area dominated by culture, full of Chinese culture. This area sells foods or supplies, including specialties from their hometown and clothes exported from China, as well as some special delicacies made with the technology brought by Chinese immigrants therefore attract Chinese people. If after the basketball court is built, many Americans gather, replacing Chinese restaurants and the Chinese cultural color here will be erased. Take the Washington, D.C.Basketball courts, for example, it’s been destroyed. If a basketball court were built in Philadelphia's Chinatown, Philadelphia's Chinatown would suffer the same fate as Washington's Chinatown. All Chinese will leave. Chinatown would lose its original purpose of being a gathering place for Chinese Americans. The government should consider the interests of the public. When making decisions, we must listen to the opinions of the masses and understand what they really need. A survey organized by PCDC showed that most residents living in Chinatown are opposed to the establishment of basketball courts. Obviously, this move is not in the interest of the people.

1.3 Racial Differences

The United States is a multicultural developed country with many different ethnic groups. Due to differences in cultural customs and living habits, Chinese people are not welcome in many cases. First, said Mr. Chen, “the community engagement director for Asian Americans United. You have to think about how Chinatown was created. We weren’t welcome in other neighborhoods”(Lauer). . Americans like to grow flowers and plants for beautification, while most Chinese people like to grow vegetables in their own backyards, because we think this way we can maximize our land and get the fruits from our own labor. Therefore, some people feel that this kind of behavior of Chinese people destroys the scenery, so they resist living with Chinese people. Chinese people all like to be thrifty, especially the older generation. Many people work in the United States and support their elders or children in China, so they even save the money spent on buses and tips.. They tip as little as they can, so many people think they are stingy.  Secondly, “About 81% of robberies are against Asians” (Harrell). The reason is Chinese people have the habit of saving money, and many thieves target them. Chinese people like to put their shoes at the door, but these features will let others know that the house is occupied by Chinese people, which will increase the probability of being robbed.   Moreover, Chinese people are more afraid of trouble. When someone breaks the law, they mainly focus on not causing trouble, so they choose to remain silent instead of calling the police.   China and the United States are hostile in many aspects of politics and economy due to their historical origins. Both countries will guide their people through public opinion, and both countries believe that their country is right, which causes the people of both countries to feel conflicted in their hearts. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, this resistance has turned into hostility in the hearts of many people. Americans believe that the virus originated in China and that this catastrophe was caused by China. Not only are there many videos insulting Chinese people in public opinion, but there are also incidents of beating Chinese people in reality. Therefore, the Chinese people all want a community that belongs to the Chinese and are not willing to lose the friendly place of Chinatown.

2.1 Housing will be affected

Chinatown will be commercialized and people's housing pressure will increase dramatically. First, “Building a course will increase land value”(Chen).  The presence of an arena often increases the property value of nearby land. Surrounding properties become more attractive, attracting more residents and investors. This will lead to many people competing with the aborigines in Chinatown for houses in Chinatown. When houses become valuable, vicious competition may occur, raising housing prices in Chinatown, which will increase the living pressure of original residents. Secondly, “According to data sourced from Neighborhoods.com and FRED Economic Data, in October of 2015 (a few months after the new stadium was announced), the median home price in Exposition Park was $361,000. In September of 2016, that number rose to $463,000. In October of this year, the median price was $600,865. There have been ups and downs over the past three years, but the trend of increasing home prices has” ( Miller). It can be seen that there are many cases in the United States where arenas have raised housing prices. If a stadium is built in Chinatown, housing prices will inevitably rise. which causes negative emotion and stress among renters and low-income people.  Therefore, in terms of housing, the pressure brought by the stadium is very huge.

2.2.The cost of food will increase in people's lives.

When a basketball court is built in Chinatown, it will cause a series of chain reactions, not only housing prices, but also food will have a great impact. First，“Food prices are rising because of several factors, including inflation, labor costs, and the supply chain”( Helhoski ). Basketball courts have a lot of foot traffic, so the demand for food is high, which competes with nearby restaurants for food supply and demand. However, since the demand for basketball courts is greater than that of restaurants, suppliers will give priority to supplying food and beverages for basketball courts, which will cause problems in the supply chain of nearby restaurants and increase the price of goods and quality decreased Second, “Data shows hot dog prices range from $3 to just over $8 among stadiums with available price data”(Mendoza). The price of food in the stadium is obviously high. In order to make money, some people will resell the food, buy it from other places at a low price, and sell it at a high price in the stadium or Chinatown. Chinatown markets will become chaotic and food prices will rise significantly. At last, “Economic development experts say the increased foot traffic and more desirable real estate brought revitalization, but for the Chinatown community it meant rising rents and chain restaurants forcing them out”(Wei).  Because of the increase in the flow of people, capitalists will find it profitable to flood into Chinatown, and the rent of the building will increase. There are many restaurants in Chinatown that mainly serve Chinese food, which is of high quality and low price, so many people often go to restaurants in Chinatown to eat together. When operating costs rise, consumption will follow. Moreover, many stores operate on a shoestring, and many will leave and close under pressure from chain restaurants. As a result, the optional consumption of indigenous people will be reduced, and they will no longer even be willing to go to restaurants to eat, and residents will lose many recreational activities.

2.3 It is becoming more difficult for Chinese people to find jobs.

In the United States, many Chinese people find it difficult to get employed due to language reasons, so most Chinese people choose to work in areas with a large number of Chinese people, where isChinatown. If a basketball court is built in Chinatown, it will have a huge impact on the employment of many Chinese people. First, “For small businesses like us, we are already struggling with the very high rent we are paying,” he said. “And we all know arenas with their sports teams, they build their own restaurants, they have their own bars. They’re within their structure. They will not bring additional business to our community”(Rourke). When a large number of American restaurants flood into Chinatown, those restaurants that mainly serve Chinese food will suffer from insufficient pressure and close down, while those people who work in Chinese restaurants will be unemployed. Moreover, with the influx of a large number of people, the supply of jobs will exceed demand, and the number of employment opportunities for Chinese people will decrease. Next, “Data shows that a few years after construction, properties around the stadium shoot up in value, pushing out long-term residents and bringing in wealthy, predominantly white residents”(WARREN). There are many shops in Chinatown that mainly sell Chinese goods. If they are mainly white people, then these goods will go bankrupt, and these operators will suffer great economic losses. Not only that, when the Chinese are dispersed, due to language reasons, it is difficult for Chinese people to communicate with business managers, making it more difficult to find a job.Work is the basis for people to earn living resources and is the most important thing in life. The construction of the stadium will have a strong impact on Chinese employment and cause the displacement of many Chinese people, so the stadium should not be built in Chinatown.

3.1  Make transportation more inconvenient

Building a stadium in Chinatown will cause great problems to the traffic in Chinatown. First, “An arena could flood the already-congested neighborhood with more traffic and crowds that aren't helpful additions to a neighborhood with schools and a senior center” (Rourke). Students whose schools are far away need to get up earlier to go to school because of heavy traffic. They may don’t get enough sleep, leading to poor memory, and difficulty focusing. Not only that, heavy traffic will also have a great impact on the elderly. The elderly move relatively slowly, too many vehicles may endanger the safety of the elderly. Public transportation also may be affected by congestion, increasing the inconvenience of the elderly’s daily life. Secondly, “Not only does traffic congestion have a harmful effect on ecology, cause air and noise pollution and impact the quality of life, it also results in more travel time and fuel consumption” (INRIX). High-density vehicle traffic produces exhaust emissions that degrade air quality and negatively impact health and the environment. People who have been exposed to vehicle exhaust pollution for a long time are more likely to develop respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases. The increase in vehicles brings traffic noise, which seriously affects the residents' lives. Car horns may cause heart attacks in the elderly who live in Chinatown, causing life-threatening consequences. Third, “They’re concerned the project would create such a traffic nightmare that people would look to avoid Chinatown”(Moselle). Because of the increase in vehicles, a large number of parking lots and roads will be needed. However, road expansion and parking lot construction will lead to a reduction in urban public space, affecting people's leisure activities. If transportation near Chinatown is not convenient, it may cause people unwilling to drive into Chinatown and avoid choosing to settle in Chinatown, leading to a decrease in the popularity of Chinatown. Therefore, people need to pay attention to the problems caused by traffic congestion.

3.2 Conflicts are likely to occur in crowded places

Conflicts tend to occur in crowded places, possibly because of differences in needs and concepts among different individuals. Differences in culture and values may also cause conflicts between people, which will affect the living environment in Chinatown. First, “Conflict arises from differences, both large and small. It occurs whenever people disagree over their values, motivations, perceptions, ideas, or desires”( Segal). The United States is home to people from many different countries, each with a different culture. When a large number of people gather in the stadium, sometimes due to cultural differences, some people will think that others do not respect them, which will cause conflicts. Secondly, “A combination of poorly designed physical environments, high-energy events, and poorly trained or inexperienced staff will increase the likelihood of spectator violence”(Madensen). In instance, the referee's wrong judgment may cause dissatisfaction between teams or fans. When communication or information transmission is not clear and accurate enough, conflicts can easily arise. Last but not least, “According to the new survey, three-in-ten Americans (30%) say there are “very strong conflicts” between poor people and rich people”(MORIN). There are many types of people who come to the stadium to watch the game. Some of them are definitely richer and some of them are poorer. When people with such huge class differences come together, the poor will think that the rich have a sense of superiority, and the rich will think that the poor affect their sense of experience, conflicts will arise silently. In summary, the establishment of a stadium will have a subtle impact on the residents of Chinatown. These negative factors not only create troubles in life, but also potentially have an adverse long-term impact on individuals' emotions and overall well-being.

3.3 .Increase the likelihood of violence in Chinatown

In this fast-paced and high-tech era, security issues have become increasingly prominent. Building a stadium in Chinatown will undoubtedly pose a risk to the safety of residents, because the stadium will make Chinatown more prone to violence. First, “People have to deal with thousands of people on the street after the game. It does not feel safe, especially after people have a few drinks”(Yam). When the event is over, people always leave at the same time, which results in a lot of turnover. Crowding, stampedes, or other personal safety issues can easily occur. Moreover, people always like to have dinner or drink with friends. After some people drink excessively, many unsafe incidents will occur, such as casual crossing of the road, conflicts and violence. Secondly, “Analyses indicate that on days when the stadium is used, the rate of crime per-unit time is elevated, but that the rate per ambient population at risk is not”( Kurland). Situations where large numbers of people gather can attract criminals and increase the risk of fraud and theft. Criminals may take advantage of distractions when crowds are watching the game, which may provide opportunities for theft. Last, “In more than half of the considered data sets, we found evidence for nonlinear crime growth—that is, crime often increases with population size at a different pace than per capita”(Oliveira). In places with large populations, it may be easier for individuals to maintain relative anonymity. This anonymity may encourage some people to engage in illegal behavior because they feel less likely to be identified and arrested. In the cases of terrorist attacks in the United States, large public events have been targeted by terrorist attacks, so the stadium will put Chinatown in potential danger. Therefore, building a basketball court will make residents feel insecure and even fear that danger will come one day. No one wants to stay in this environment for a long time. The decision to build a stadium poses a huge safety hazard to the safety of Chinatown.

Conclusion

To sum up, basketball courts should not be built in Chinatown. In terms of cultural heritage, Chinatown will lose its meaning, and the cultural heritage passed down over the years will be erased. Economically, many people in Chinatown will lose their original stable lives and become homeless, looking for a new place to stay again. In terms of social security, Chinatown residents do not feel safe and live in a worrying environment every day. We Chinatown residents are not opposed to the government supporting sports events, we just hope that the arena will not be built in Chinatown. There are many convenient and large areas in Philadelphia. If arenas are built in these areas, they can meet the needs of many, many people. This will not only provide fans with a place to watch games, but also preserve Chinatown, allowing many people to continue to live a happy and stable life.

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