Cultural diversity plays a major role to make the community more successful. The main focus of the research is how cultural diversity affects Union Square's public space and workplace. Cultural diversity has a positive impact on this public space and makes this hub more attractive. Cultural diversity is the most transparent part of Union Square that leads to better social coherence and urbanism.
Union Square is one of the historical and public spaces. Union Square is surrounded by residency and business buildings. Union Square is the place where you can see cultural diversity in the workplace, and in public spaces. Union Square is the center of neighborhoods Gramercy park to the East, Chelsea to the west, Flatiron District to the north, Greenwich Village to the SouthWest, and East Village to the SouthEast. There are 41% White, 6% Black, 27% Asian, 23% Hispanic, and 2% Multirace (Union Square Neighborhood). There are many people of different backgrounds, races, and ethnicity who work and live here. Tourists come here to visit, enjoy food, shop and spend time in the park. This place is always full of employees, friends, family, tourists, and students. It has a whole food market, fast food shops (Wendys, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Subway), banks, brands (forever 21, Burlington, American eagle, Levi’s), cinema(regal), pharmacy, vendors, and NYU university campus.
Impact of Cultural Diversity on Business and Public Interaction
A big transportation system, pick and drop services (yellow cap, green cap, TLC), MTA busses, and subways exist. This is the place where everybody can live and enjoy themselves without any problem. People here are not ethnocentric and they treat each other very well. During ethnographic observation, there were some kids of different backgrounds and races in the park and they were playing with each other and they were enjoying those moments without any hesitation or problem. More specifically, it also helps children to learn about other people of different races and ethnicity. A quote by Anthropologist, Margaret Mead, represents this idea “Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class, or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful”(Nadell, par.4). Cultural diversity also impacts on the life and change the viewpoints about the people that society considered as minorities, etc. This is due to the positive impact of cultural diversity and which prevents the issues like racism and discrimination. This represents cultural diversity leads to better social coherence and urbanism in Union Square.
There are many businesses in union square like Outfits, food shops, and food markets. People of different backgrounds, races, and ethnicity work here. As per the mix and learning point of view on diversity, the bits of knowledge, aptitudes, and encounters representatives have created as individuals from different social character bunches are possibly profitable assets that the work gathering can use to reconsider its essential undertakings and rethink its business sectors, items, methodologies, and business rehearses in manners that will propel its main goal. This viewpoint joins diversity to work forms the manner in which individuals do and experience the work in a way that makes assorted variety an asset for learning and versatile change (Ely and Thomas, 240). At the point when diversity is overseen adequately and the workplace supports and qualities a different workforce, representatives from every single statistic foundation feel included inside their association and trust that their thoughts, suppositions, and recommendations are welcome. Making an avowing atmosphere to help a diverse workforce is one system to improve worker fulfillment and responsibility and, subsequently, diminish turnover. At the point when representatives of shading see comparative others prevailing in the work environment, they see that they, as well, will be allowed to prevail in the association and, in this way, will be less inclined to turn over (Chrobot-Mason and Aramovich, 664).
Union Square: A Transportation Hub and Cultural Melting Pot
Cultural diversity also plays a positive role in the workplace. These two references showing that how cultural diversity impact business and how an organization can make itself more powerful. This is not only for the organization but also for the environment of the public space. Different kinds of people visit Union Square, go to these shops, communicate, and buy different things. One more interesting thing in Union Square is chess playing. These people belong to the low class and earn money by playing chess with people and providing entertainment for people. Tourists and other people play with these or with their friends and enjoy their time. This shows the great cultural diversity impact on this place and how different groups of people enjoys with each other regardless of racism, discrimination, and stereotype. This is the great effect of cultural diversity that it prevents the issues like racism and discrimination. During the visits to different shops during ethnographic observation, one thing observed was that people from different countries work over there. There are different types of food available over there like Chinese food, Italian pizza, Arabic style gyro and even more like this. These foods from different cultures also have a great impact on this place. These foods represent the food identity of that specific culture. In this way, they spread their culture among the diverse group. This diversity grasps a comprehensive working environment that represents the culture of the community and leads to better social coherence.
Union Square is not only a park, however, but it is also a transportation hub. In 2016 it was ranked as the 4th busiest subway station in NYC (mta.info, 2016). They also highlight the annual ridership of Union Square, which sits at just over 34 million. The placement of the park plays a major role as to why this is, it is positioned at the intersection of 5 major neighborhoods/other parks. Chess tables are also positioned near subway outlets and this causes a density of people at each end of the park, this setup also creates a circular flow around the park, with some hotspots scattered around (Griffin, 2015). Another essential piece to the park's success is the surrounding shops, they increase flow. As one can imagine the area would not be nearly as popular if it were only residential buildings surrounding the area.
The Influence of Cultural Diversity on Food and Health
In another report, the residential buildings surrounding the area are mostly comprised of white, being more than fifty percent of the entire neighborhood population. About thirty-four percent of this neighborhood have bachelor's degrees, which is quite a lot compared to the entire city’s percentage of bachelor's degrees which is twenty-one point five percent (Union Square (Flatiron) Neighborhood in New York). This proves that the neighborhood consists of educated white people. The majority of the diversity comes from tourism and the farmer's market. The sellers from the farmer's market have fresh produce; without them, food flavor would not exist. Most residents of this neighborhood would need to work full time to support themselves and pay off their 400 to 500 thousand dollar homes. They don't have enough time to cook, leaving the neighborhood chefs to cook food for the entire community. Many different races of chefs and each including their own culture into their cuisine. Diversity increases the number of different flavors and brings together different cultures. “Regional food diversity can support food diversity at the community level--where otherwise it might be fragile--by shared learning experiences, and by trade” (Wahlqvist, 2003).
Building Connections Through Cultural Diversity
Having these small businesses working with the rich by trading produce for money benefits both parties involved by keeping the small business workers from going into poverty and giving the rich a dish they can enjoy. Constantly eating the same flavor becomes repetitive and boring. Trying new foods allows us to experience new tastes. According to a case study, “Nutrition education on the importance of a diversity of local foods in meeting dietary needs, thus stimulating the demand side, can contribute to achieving year-round household food security,” (Ng’endo, 2018). Studies have shown that diversity of food has multiple health benefits. An article on nutrition showed that “increased diversity of food introduced in the first year of life on allergic diseases are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to a variety of food antigens during early life might play a role in the development of immune tolerance,” (Mazzocchi, 2017). Introducing yourself to new foods can improve your mental and physical well-being. Most goods are transported to New York City because the city life is not the place some crops can grow. Some products are even brought from other nations exposing us to different cultures.
Cultural diversity familiarizes us with people of different races and backgrounds. Being in the same area gives us common ground to engage in conversations to build connections or relationships.