According to the National Geographic Society, formal regions are those that are generally recognized as such as a result of being shared by people with common cultural characteristics or goals. Chinatown can therefore be characterized as formal, as it is generally occupied by Chinese immigrants, as the case has also been in historical terms. A functional region is referred to as a central area serving the neighborhoods around it. It is generally connected to the areas it serves by means of transportation routes. Chinatown is connected with its surrounding regions, but does not serve them for purposes other than tourism or entertainment. In broad terms, it is unlikely that the region can then be characterized as formal.

Finally, a vernacular, or what the National Geographic Society refers to as "perceptual" regions, are those without particular physical boundaries, but that are based upon human attitudes or feelings. Examples are Dixie, southern California, and the American South. These regions are characterized upon common characteristics and names, but cannot be said to reside within specific borders. While Chinatown may connected with certain perceptions and feelings, it does also reside within a specific geographic area.

According to the criteria mentioned, Chinatown Manhattan can therefore be referred to as a formal region.

Another interesting feature about the Chinese community in New...

Indeed, according to Larry Tung, several others have been established over the years, with examples such as the already mentioned Flushing in Queens, Sunset Park in Brooklyn, and the newest one on Avenue U. In Brooklyn's Homecrest section. Thirty miles to the southwest of New York City, there is also a growing Chinatown in Edison, New Jersey.
These dynamics could be indicative of further developments in the nature of Chinatown and its perception as a formal region. Indeed, its boundaries appear to be increasingly fluid not only as its size and number of citizens increase, but also the number of similar regions in the area. In the future, Chinatown may indeed become a vernacular region, based more upon the idea and perception of it than its geographic limits.

Chinatown appears to be a thriving community, despite economic and other difficulties facing the region.

Asian-American Federation of New York (AAFNY). Neighborhood Profile: Manhattan's Chinatown. 2004. http://www.aafny.org/cic/briefs/Chinatownbrief.pdf

National Geographic Society. Geography Standards. 2008. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/standards/05/index.html

Tung, Larry. Chinatown Looks for a Way to Survive and Thrive. Gotham Gazette, April 2009. http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/immigrants/20090420/11/2888