Date of Award
8-1997
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Geography
First Advisor
Dr. Ilya Zaslavksy
Second Advisor
Dr. Eric Anderson
Third Advisor
Dr. Jeroen Wagendorp
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Neighborhood revitalization, a process of turning an old, often run-down urban neighborhood into a fashionable and attractive place to live, has been studied in major cities in Europe, Australia and the United States. This process is a controversial combination of various social and economic changes since the late 1960s, and its magnitude and parameters have been disputed. This thesis zeroes in on one neighborhood that appears to be revitalizing, the Vine neighborhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The census data from 1980 and 1990 generally conflict with the revitalizing image of the area. In order to address this conflict, this research analyses the area by studying population and housing characteristics on the census block level. This allows for compiling of data according to neighborhood borders and an in depth analysis of the diversity of up- and downgrading trends within the neighborhood. The large scale analysis reveals many signs of revitalization on the individual block level. It shows that neighborhood revitalization is a complex phenomenon which involves re-distribution of population on the neighborhood level and diversity of social-spatial dynamics in different parts of the neighborhood.
Recommended Citation
Jarnefelt-Burns, Lotta M., "Diversity and Spatial Structure of Revitalization in the Vine Neighborhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan: 1980-1990" (1997). Masters Theses. 5050.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/5050