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Magical Urbanism: Latinos Reinvent the U.S. City

mike davis román de la campa

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Winner of the 2001 Carey McWilliams Award

Is the capital of Latin America a small island at the mouth of the Hudson River? Will California soon hold the balance of power in Mexican national politics? Will Latinos reinvigorate the US labor movement?

These are some of the provocative questions that Mike Davis explores in this fascinating account of the Latinization of the US urban landscape. As he forefully shows, this is a demographic and cultural revolution with extraordinary implications. With Spanish surnames increasing five times faster than the general population, salsa is becoming the predominant ethnic rhythm (and flavor) of contemporary city life. In Los Angeles, Houston, San Antonio, and (shortly) Dallas, Latinos outnumber non-Hispanic whites; in New York, San Diego and Phoenix they outnumber Blacks. According to the Bureau of the Census, Latinos will supply fully two-thirds of the nation’s population growth between now and the middle of the 21st century when nearly 100 millions Americans will boast Latin American ancestry.

Davis focuses on the great drama of how Latinos are attempting to translate their urban demographic ascendancy into effective social power. Pundits are now unanimous that Spanish-surname voters are the sleeping giant of US politics. Yet electoral mobilization alone is unlikely to redress the increasing income and opportunity gaps between urban Latinos and suburban non-Hispanic whites. Thus in Los Angeles and elsewhere, the militant struggles of Latino workers and students are reinventing the American left. Fully updated throughout, and with new chapters on the urban Southwest and the explodiing counter-migration of Anglos to Mexico, Magical Urbanism is essential reading for anyone who wants to grasp the future of urban America

This paperback edition of Mike Davis’s investigation into the Latinization of America incorporates the extraordinary findings of the 2000 Census as well as new chapters on the militarization of the border and violence against immigrants.

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 6,2000

This edition

Format
192 pages, Paperback
Published
July 1, 2001 by Verso Books
ISBN
9781859843284
ASIN
185984328X
Language
English

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About the author

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mike davis

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 47 votes)
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47 reviews All reviews
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Sunnyx9
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Ahh - Help! I lost this book with perhaps two chapters to go!!! If you happen to see it please contact me!

Alright - problem solved. I picked up a copy at the library so I could read the last 12 pages. Good, typical Davis production where he utilizes the most provocative examples of statistics and stories of abuse to discuss the numerous issues of post-NAFTA hispanic growth in the United States. He focuses generally on the major US cities and, as his some base, more specifically within the Los Angeles/ San Diego region. It’s an engaging read and very timely in regard to the 2000 Census.
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takudoti
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Like many of the other commenters, I was rather disappointed by this book's short and disjointed chapters, and somewhat exoticizing approach.
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lucille012
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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A slim but informative book on the plight of Latinos in the US. I especially liked the "Twin" chapter.
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Punyama51
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Judging this book by its cover, title, and general paratext, I expected it to be more about Latinos' cultural influence on U.S. cities. Instead, Davis focuses more on demographic shifts and enduring socioeconomic and educational inequalities. Overall, though, I enjoy the historical context he provides, but I wish I had read Magical Urbanism 10 years ago.
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kinglayy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Salsa is becoming the predominant ethnic flavour—and rhythm—in other large metropolitan cores. In six of the ten biggest cities—New York, Los Angeles, Houston, San Diego, Phoenix, and San Antonio, in that order—Latinos now outnumber Blacks; and in Los Angeles, Houston, and San Antonio, non-Hispanic whites as well. Within five years, both Dallas and Fort Worth will have Spanish-surname pluralities, while in Chicago—Drake and Cayton’s paradigmatic ‘Black Metropolis’—the surging Latino population, although still only half of the size of the African-American community, now holds the balance of political power in most city elections. Philadelphia’s Latinos may be in distant third place, but they account for a majority of the city’s population influx since 1980. Only Detroit—with the most threadbare private-sector economy of any major central city—clearly bucks the trend.

I always fascinated about cities are being built with their intertwined narratives and this book always gives almost everything.
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TheJrdzone
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Classic Mike Davis. A broad look at how Latinos are mistreated despite their enormous contribution to North American cities. My favorite part of the book was chapter 6, which dealt directly with urban planning and design issues. I love the "tropicalizing" trope - Davis' way of describing how Latinos revivify boring urban spaces. I also want to remember his critique of planning practices that make it illegal for people to modify their homes, either with a fresh coat of lively paint, or by adding a granny flat. These restraints on Latino urbanism are ironic, particularly in view of the myraid mini malls in "Taco Bell Moderne."
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Plex-C
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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The title of this book really led me to expect something different--basically I thought I would be diving into all the ways Latinos have invigorated cities and public spaces, etc. There were about five pages of that....and the rest was a bit of a demographic tour of barriers this community was facing in the country circa 2000. So, not a bad book per se, but definitely not what is advertised by the title.
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