Bustees to Blots: The Bangladeshi Pursuit of Community

Abstract

From bustees to blots, this essay traces the migration of disenfranchised Bangladeshi families from Dhaka to Queens, and finally to Banglatown, Detroit, which is home to one of the largest Bangladeshi populations outside of Dhaka. Regardless of urban context, residents face forces such as governmental neglect, rising rents, and racial scrutiny that prevent them from achieving socio-economic stability. The persistence of residents to overcome these challenges undoubtedly leaves a mark on the urban environment, where the informal appropriation of space to suit individual needs can be found across densities, architectural typologies, and geographic contexts. This informality can be more easily understood through the bustees settlements in Dhaka, although the occupation of illegally converted housing units in Queens and property expansion into vacant parcels in Detroit have provided opportunities for communities to acquire a sense of agency over their neighborhoods. The transition from Dhaka to Banglatown illustrates the need to acquire some sense of tenure and community; through this aspiration, the appropriation of habitat persists as a layered emancipatory process of adaptation where static and kinetic can coexist.