Making Space for Arrival

Making Space for Arrival:

A Research Project on Migrant Newcomers' Socio-spatial Experiences
in Greater Boston

About this Project

Hi! My name is Zhuo Pang, and I’m a PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield. I study how migrant newcomers engage with everyday urban spaces—such as parks, community centers, public libraries, cafes, public transit, and more—during their arrival in the Greater Boston area.

This project explores the roles of newcomers, migrant support organizations, and urban practitioners in collectively shaping what I call the “arrival landscape.” It’s an opportunity to better understand the places that matter most to newcomers, the challenges they face, and the support that helps them settle down.

Depending on who you are, there are different ways you can take part—see below to learn more.

*This project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Three Participant Groups

Migrant Newcomers

If you are an immigrant who has moved to the Greater Boston Area within the past 6 months to 5 years, I invite you to take part in an interview with mapping activities (we’ll mark places on a map together), followed by an optional walk along a route you choose.

The goal is to understand which everyday places matter to you in the early stage of arrival—both the ones you like and the ones you find challenging.

Migrant Support Organizations

If you are staff or a volunteer in an organization serving immigrant communities—especially supporting newcomers through the settlement process—I invite you to join me for a short interview (online or in-person).

We’ll discuss your programs, the spaces you work in, and the challenges and opportunities you see for newcomers.

Urban Practitioners

If you are an urban planner, designer, municipal worker, or other practitioner who has worked with immigrant communities, I’d love to speak with you (online or in-person) to reflect on your insights about how to create a more inclusive urban environment for migrant newcomers.

Research Methods

This project is ethnographic in nature and adopts multiple methods, including:

Participatory Mapping
Walking Interview
Semi-structured Interview
Qualitative GIS

Ethical Research

I aim to work in a non-extractive way, ensuring the process is beneficial for participants and their communities.

*The project has been approved by the University of Sheffield’s ethics committee. All participation is voluntary, and your anonymity and privacy will be strictly protected.

See below for a one-page summary of this project:

PhD Research-“Making Space for Arrival”.docx

Questions? Interested?

Contact zpang5@sheffield.ac.uk to get more information about the project

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