Without access to the kind of community support they once knew in their homelands, otherwise successful recent immigrant women to Canada are finding themselves socially isolated and depressed in suburbia.
"[The transition to suburban life for many immigrant women] can be a recipe for depression and resentment, which often can't be expressed, since the village atmosphere of home is replaced by compartmentalized, isolated suburban living...'Back home, you have your uncles and your cousins,' says Dhaya Lingam, a Tamil woman in her 50s who lives across from the Elango home. 'Here, it's strangers.'
Ms. Taylor Simpson was struck by similar statements during two years of consultations with community groups in her former role at York Region. 'It was life altering for me to really hear, particularly in these rapidly growing suburban communities, how much this loss of a sense of community really, really impacted people in a deep and spiritual and quality-of-life kind of way,' she says."
"Over time, the transition eases, especially as children mature and provide a bridge between their parents and the mainstream community. It's during the intervening years that the stress can become just too much."
"'I think people are marooned out in the ocean, they're on an island," Mr. Cousens says. 'They are Robinson Crusoes. They are building their own little new home and they are struggling and it is not easy.'"
FULL STORY: Immigrants can suffer in silence within walls of suburbs

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

Poor Conditions in Mobile Home Parks Put Residents at Risk
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How Complete Streets Stands to Lose in the FY26 ‘Skinny Budget’
The President’s proposed budget could cut key resources for active transportation, public transit, and road safety programs.

Dairy Queen and Rural Third Places
Dozens of Dairy Queen restaurants across Texas are closing, taking a critical community space with them.
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