Browsing by Subject "gentrification"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Art as Activism: Displacement Prevention in the Twin Cities
    (2016-12) O’Donnell, Stephanie
    This research uses the history of urban development and media representation as context for understanding current racial equity gaps and growing fears of gentrification and displacement in Minneapolis and Saint Paul neighborhoods. It emphasizes the importance of narrative in the process of changing power structures, and explores the community-building work of artist, Wing Young Huie, and arts organizations, Mixed Blood Theatre and Juxtaposition Arts. During times of change, art can strengthen neighborhood resilience by giving communities control over the telling of their own stories.
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    The Changing Face of Wall Space: Graffiti-murals in the context of neighborhood change in Los Angeles
    (2012-05) Bloch, Stefano
    In this historical geography of the changing appearance of wall space in and around the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, I show how the proliferation of graffiti-murals indicates the rise of a new form of practice in the production of urban aesthetics. I rely on data gathered through empirical and qualitative research—specifically, ethnographic methods that include archival image analysis, original photography, personal and participant observation, and extensive formal and open-ended interviews with members of the graffiti and mural communities. Throughout this dissertation I discuss the production and destruction of murals and graffiti-murals in the context of over 70 years of socio-spatial neighborhood change. I rely on the writings of geographers, sociologists, urban theorists, and art theorists who understand the production of alternative urban aesthetics as necessarily political, participatory, and place-based.
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    Environmental Planning, Urban Development, and the Making of Environmental Injustice in Minneapolis
    (2023-05) Walker, Rebecca
    This dissertation examines the intersection of urban environmental planning, real estate,and inequality in three case studies in Minneapolis, MN. The first chapter, focused on the period in which racial segregation began to characterize the urban landscape, considers the intersection of racial covenants and park development in Minneapolis in the 1910s. The second chapter connects the historical insights from Chapter 1 to contemporary environmental outcomes through an analysis of patterns of urban heat and tree canopy cover relative to the historic geographies of racial covenants and the HOLC redlining maps in Minneapolis, MN. The final chapter considers contemporary green gentrification and the re-entrenchment of patterns of environmental injustice. Together these chapters aim to understand how environmental inequalities were built into the fabric of Minneapolis, addressing key themes related to 1) the role of nature in the construction of racialized space, 2) the legacy effects of racial discrimination and implications for planners, and 3) the role of planners in producing and maintaining environmental injustices.
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    Urban Flourishing: BioSolar’s Effects on Urban Heat Islands & Implications for Equity and Gentrification
    (2021-05) Butler, Morgaine; Countney, Jessy; Gottfried, David; Vikeras, Nathan
    In partnerships with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project, and Macalester College, the Minnesota Metropolitan Council sought to support its Surface with Purpose tool, an application that projects the potential benefits of green roofs, solar photovoltaic panels and integrated BioSolar systems on public and commercial properties. The team from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs addressed two research questions that sought to further develop this tool: (1) To what extent do BioSolar systems impact the Urban Heat Island Effect? (2) What equity and gentrification considerations are important for policymakers to keep in mind when designing BioSolar System policies? Are BioSolar systems on commercial and public properties associated with an increased likelihood of surrounding neighborhoods to gentrify? To answer these questions, the Humphrey School team conducted a literature review and key informant interviews on topics related to BioSolar elements (green roofs and solar photovoltaic panels), urban heat islands, and gentrification. To support this research in a Twin Cities context, the team also performed spatial analyses on urban heat islands and gentrification within the Metropolitan Council’s jurisdiction. Lastly, the team conducted an exploratory econometric analysis of gentrification as it related to BioSolar elements within the Twin Cities area.