Ethnic and religious groups have become a salient factor of urban residential dynamics in Western society. The residential decisions of the residents follow, at least in part, by their desire to live where their ‘friends’— neighbours from the same or close group live, and/or relying on communal networks . However, the geographical proximity of the areas of origin, and as a result, the cultural similarities, seems to be able to overcome the political barriers. And so our western cities have witnessed a set of mixed neighbourhoods and shared communal spaces with both Turks and Greeks, Chinese and Koreans, Israelis and Iranian, who are known for their political, ethnic or religious conflicts. Based on an in-depth field survey, this paper explores what the 'push' and 'pull' factors are that affects the spatial relationship between the Sylheti and Dhaka communities in Whitechapel.