Urban Studies Masters Theses

111 1st Street Jersey City, NJ: The Life and Death of an Arts Community

David Goodwin — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:46:18 PDT

For nearly twenty years, 111 1^st Street, a former tobacco warehouse, stood as the vibrant center of the arts community in Jersey City, New Jersey. The owner of 111 1^st Street evicted its resident artists in 2005 and demolished the building in 2007. Artists are often viewed as an integral component to the gentrification process. However, the case of 111 1^st Street suggests a possible alteration to the typical, gradual process of gentrification and challenges the established scholarship on the relationship between artists and gentrification. This thesis will use interviews and original research to recreate the narrative and history of 111 1^st Street, focusing on the events surrounding its demise and its ultimate destruction. Additionally, this thesis will utilize 111 1^st Street to highlight any resulting gaps in current gentrification theory.

SEASONALITY & THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM: THE ROLE OF SEASONS IN LOCAL FOOD EDUCATION IN NEW YORK CITY

Sarah Benoit — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:41:15 PDT

Much of the current research on global and local food insecurity – particularly among poor urban populations – strongly suggests that the impacts of industrial agriculture and the American fast food culture has been detrimental to both urban and rural populations, and to small farmers. Food insecurity and unequal access to healthy and affordable food are critical issues in the metropolis. In response to these concerns, there has been a great deal of mobilization around the concept of local and regional food systems. Food systems analysis examines the viability, equitability, and sustainability of the life cycle of the local food system. This framework allows for the discussion of many factors related to improvements within the food system. To date, food systems research has been limited in its attention to the United States’ largest urban areas. Specific studies on the New York City food system have begun to surface, however the body of scholarship is still limited. The focus on these food systems has important implications for cities, which now hold more than half of the world’s population. New York City has made great strides in integrating local food production into the urban context through support for urban gardens and farming and the increased focus on community gardens and urban farms. For this examination of seasonal food, New York City serves as the urban context and center of the local food system under consideration.

Educational Infrastructural Development in Bangladesh: A Comparative Rural and Urban Community Context Study of Government Primary Schools in Bangladesh

Minhajul Meje — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:35:08 PDT

This research examines the physical infrastructural issues that exist in Bangladesh’s public primary schools. While, the possible solutions proposed in this study are short term, further studies are needed to evaluate and develop long-term solutions to existing issues in Bangladesh’s schools. This study aspires to show the need of further investigation which should be conducted in a large scale over an extended period of time. I hope this research sheds proper light on the need for educational development in Bangladesh and that the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education in Bangladesh take further initiatives to better the primary education system and equip students with proper educational tools necessary to become a member of the new global community.

Blue-Collar Working Mothers: The Effects of the 2009/2010 MTA/NYCT Budget Cuts on Female TWU Local 100 Members

Kathleen Adams — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:20:10 PDT

My research focused on the growing burdens placed on blue-collar working women. Specifically, my research looks at how budget cuts affect blue-collar women who are mothers in urban areas working for public authorities Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)/New York City Transit (NYCT). I used the 2009/2010 MTA/NYCT budget cuts for my case study. In my research, I sought to investigate why there existed a large concentration of women in certain blue-collar job titles where massive layoffs were enacted due to the 2009/2010 MTA/NYCT fiscal crisis. My research focused on female members of Transport Workers Union Local 100 (TWU Local 100) affected by the layoffs.

WATERFRONT REDEVELOPMENT AT SOUTH STREET SEAPORT: WHERE WATER AND LAND, COLLABORATION AND PLANNING CONVERGE

Kathryn Anne Lorico Tipora — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:10:08 PDT

With a new analytic approach to waterfront space and the incorporation of community-based planning in the process, urban planning can be used as a tool in the social and environmental justice movement for a more livable and accessible city. I will identify the benefits and challenges of an interdisciplinary approach to planning and developing waterfronts by 1) analyzing the history and past redevelopments of South Street Seaport, an essential step to understanding any urban space; 2) identifying the benefits and challenges of an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to planning and developing urban waterfronts; and 3) providing a possible explanation for why New York City’s waterfronts have not been the focus of tourism, recreation, or development and why it should be from now on. Themes of equity, access, sustainability, and education will be at the forefront throughout this analysis in the hope that New York City’s waterfront will no longer restrain New Yorkers, but will free them instead.

"Bullets Don't Have Names": The Effects of Social Capital on Adolescent African Girls' Integration into Public Space

Courtney M. Ball — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:55:08 PDT

Today's generation of adolescents is inheriting a country in decline. More specifically, youth in city centers are experiencing the plight of severe economic and social distress and urban violence. The academic discourse around urban violence that plagues African Americans tends to focus on the deterioration of the black family because of lack of fathers, black-on-black crimes and mass incarceration of black men. Women, especially adolescent girls, are often left out of the discourse. For the most part, young women are not committing the crimes, however, their friends, boyfriends, brothers and cousins are society and the media's alleged perpetrators. Young women are affected by this violence and by relationships with people committing such violence. But what are the effects? How do young women function amidst such violence? The following paper will discuss how the social capital of adolescent African American young women affects their integration into public space. I will share the implications of qualitative interviews conducted in the Bayview/Hunter's Point community of San Francisco, California.