Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Geography

Despite ongoing geopolitical concerns and influence of big data companies, this research focuses on the everyday practices on TikTok that reveal different aspects of the platform's use. This research explores the impact of TikTok on the lives of Bhutanese-Nepali women residing in Central Ohio. Through six ethnographic interviews with Bhutanese-Nepali women – who use TikTok to showcase their–everyday domestic practices – this study reveals how TikTok practices facilitate (digital) placemaking, fostering a sense of belonging for relocated refugees living in the suburbs. By contextualizing the history of displacement from Bhutan to Nepal and the US, and mapping relocation patterns from urban areas to suburbs, I illustrate how these recent movements can traced within online practices of Bhutanese-Nepali refugees. While acknowledging the potential risks of manipulation and public scrutiny associated with sharing content on a public platform, Bhutanese-Nepali women demonstrate adeptness in navigating and leveraging the algorithm, showcasing their agency and resilience both online and offline.

Committee: Madhumita Dutta (Advisor); Teresa Teresa Lynch (Committee Member); Kendra McSweeney (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Geography; South Asian Studies; Womens Studies

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

This dissertation in practice examines the absence of an advocacy framework for Black placemakers in southwest Springfield neighborhoods seeking to transform vacant spaces into vibrant pocket parks, green spaces, and community gardens. This critical community-based participatory research addresses inadequate public policies, resources, and technical assistance to create and sustain neighborhood sites for endurance, belonging, and resistance. Thematic findings indicated that systemic issues, street-level organizing, and sustainability are primary barriers and opportunities. An action intervention and change process was developed to establish the Springfield Park and Green Space Ecosystem (SPGE). The action plan focuses on a community coalition of power building, a community benefits agreement, zoning revisions, and public-private partnerships with results-based accountability.

Committee: James Olive (Committee Chair); Castel Sweet (Committee Member); Pamela Cross Young (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Agricultural Education; Area Planning and Development; Behaviorial Sciences; Climate Change; Conservation; Cultural Anthropology; Environmental Education; Environmental Health; Environmental Justice; Land Use Planning; Landscape Architecture; Landscaping; Public Administration; Public Health; Public Health Education; Public Policy; Sustainability; Urban Forestry; Urban Planning

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

Creative Placemaking is an emerging field that places arts and culture at the core of revitalization strategies, economic development policies, and community development initiatives. Over the past few decades, creative placemaking has become a popular local strategy to drive revitalization, animate spaces, or expand economic growth. Although many studies have been conducted to understand the economic, social, and environmental impacts of creating placemaking in a larger context, only a few foundations have attempted to create indicators that could evaluate the changes a community undergoes due to creative placemaking initiatives. Two foundations, the National Endowment for the Arts and ArtPlace, have created indicators in order to capture the multi-dimensional impact arts and culture can have on neighborhoods. This paper utilizes a qualitative, framework analysis to answer questions regarding the validity of the NEA and ArtPlace indicators. The research intends to first, determine whether or not the indicators used by both the NEA and ArtPlace are reflective of the desired outcomes, mission statements and grant objectives outlined by their respective organizations, and to the community. Second, the paper analyzes whether the indicators are established in theory. Finally, it is the intent of this analysis to inquire how effective the indicators are as evaluation tools to measure the true causal impact of investments in creative placemaking ventures. The findings illustrate that discrepancies exist between the indicator sets and their respective organizations mission statement, desired outcomes, and grant objectives. Further, inter-organizational inconsistencies between the two indicator sets create confusion and weaken their attempts to evaluate creative placemaking. This study raises important questions with regard to the use of indicators as an evaluation tool. Do indicators stifle innovation? How can indicators demonstrate isolated, causal impacts of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carla Chifos Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Michael Romanos Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

While scholars recognize that engagement in Black and other affirming campus places strengthen Black college student retention efforts (Miller, 2017; Patton, 2006b; Solorzano et al., 2000; Volpe & Jones, 2021), less is known about how these areas become important to Black students. In this instrumental case study, I use the case of recent graduates who participated in Black retention programming at one institution as the instrument to further understandings around the role Black places and affirming spaces may play in retention programming experiences. Through a series of in-depth interviews with these recent graduates, I explore their perceptions of their participation in campus-based retention programs. Using a Black placemaking theoretical approach, I pay special attention to the spatial context through which retention programming may be involved in the creation and maintenance of Black and other affirming campus spaces for Black college students at a Predominantly White institution (PWI). In addition, I interviewed programming staff, analyzed website data, and employed field observation to provide additional descriptive data important to the context of the case. Data analysis involved both inductive and deductive coding in order to unearth themes within the data. Findings here will deepen understanding of how students may come to perceive the significance of Black and other affirming spaces in their retention programming experiences, if at all. Moreover, findings will broaden the conversation concerning the capacity for community and joy in Black college student retention experiences.

Committee: Everrett Smith Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Antar Tichavakunda Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jarrod Druery Ph.D. (Committee Member); Littisha Bates Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

Despite the recognized importance of citizen participation in creative placemaking, the participation process in arts districts has not been thoroughly scrutinized. Previous indicators heavily focus on economic contributions, failing to capture the social values inherent in creative placemaking. The lack of an effective assessment tool can exacerbate issues such as gentrification, which displaces low-income residents and erodes the unique sense of place. This study aims to address this gap by identifying barriers to citizen participation and measuring the social value of creative placemaking, contributing to the development of more equitable and inclusive arts districts. In the twenty-first century, rapid digitalization and globalization have empowered citizens to quickly access information and engage actively with government administration. This shift has also introduced the theory of New Governance, which decentralizes federal authority and promotes a horizontal network between the government and citizens. Citizen participation has become an increasingly critical component of successful governance in various sectors, including the arts. Creative placemaking is a human-centered planning approach that leverages local arts and cultural assets for regional revitalization. Arts districts, as the primary mechanism of creative placemaking, highlight the importance of cross-sector partnerships for successful implementation. For residents, producing and distributing local arts and cultural assets is essential for preserving the unique regional characteristics of an arts district. This dissertation is a comparative case study evaluating the level of citizen participation and identifying barriers to participation in the decision-making processes of the Short North Arts District and the Franklinton Arts District in Columbus, Ohio. Using the theoretical frameworks of New Governance and the Ladder of Citizen Participation, the study examines participation levels in the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shoshanah Goldberg-Miller (Advisor); Tiffany Bourgeois (Committee Member); Rachel Skaggs (Committee Member); Jesse Fox (Committee Member); Wayne Lawson (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Cultural Resources Management; Public Administration; Public Policy

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

In 2019, The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) was voted onto the city charter of Toledo, Ohio. The charter amendment made it possible for citizens of the city of Toledo to sue polluters on behalf of the Lake, effectively giving Lake Erie more standing in court closer to that of legal personhood. A year later, LEBOR was deemed unenforceable by Judge Jack Zouhary, who critiqued it as vague and reaching too far beyond the jurisdiction of Toledo. This dissertation starts from those two critiques, analyzing how LEBOR fell short in 1. specifically connecting to the thousands of years of landscape practices and relations Indigenous residents had developed in the time before the region was colonized and 2. understanding the Lake as a place with a dynamic set of naturecultural relations with deep ties to the watershed and landscape within the jurisdiction of Toledo. This analysis uses theories from spatial rhetoric, placemaking, naturecultural critique, Indigenous scholarship, and postcolonial studies focused on the U.S. to understand why these shortcomings occurred and how future activist composers can possibly benefit from avoiding them. At the center of the analysis is an oral history composed using only the words of the activists in order to ground the work in their more immediate context. The dissertation concludes by evaluating how my analysis of LEBOR can be applied to teaching writing in and outside of the classroom and to scientific research projects that may otherwise be falling short in their connection with the public connected to the knowledge they gather and the organisms and entities they research.

Committee: Neil Baird Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ellen Gorsevski Ph.D. (Committee Member); Chad Iwertz-Duffy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lee Nickoson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Environmental Justice; Geography; Rhetoric

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

As students of color find belonging in their campus community, they not only desire to persist to graduation, but they to seek to thrive and cultivate a sense of place for their peers to do the same. Utilizing Black placemaking framework, this study explored the lived experiences and the interpretation of that experience for Black students at Carmel University. The university's place based identity is rooted in the Imago Dei, the understanding that we are all created in the image of God and are to be fully known in who we are. Hermeneutical phenomenology was employed in the process of data collection which included interviews, observations, and the reflexive journaling of the researcher. In that communicative space, five themes overarching themes were identified in the data analysis: experience of place, belonging, social capital, interpretation of experience, and hope. Findings suggest that while participants value their experience at Carmel, there is an expressed need to support Black student belonging through representation, opportunities, and practices that represent who they are. Further, findings suggest a critical need for a commitment from the institution to take the initiative to create and sustain these opportunities. The study proposes a plan of action grounded in a collaborative process with participants, community members, and invested stakeholders that contributes to belonging and thriving through mentorship and a feasibility study of bringing a Black Greek Letter Organization to campus.

Committee: Ricardo Garcia (Committee Chair); Mary Ziskin (Committee Member); Evin Grant (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Religious Education

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

The inclusion of Black learners in mathematics education discourse is typically achieved by way of deficit framing and the need for intervention rather than discussions of Black learners' brilliance (Gholson et al., 2012; Leonard & Martin 2013; Martin, 2012). Although mathematical illiteracy has become a signifier of Blackness, it is not a norm for Black learners (McKittrick &Woods, 2007). To the contrary, Black learners' brilliance need not be tested or proved, rather it works to definitively reclaim “the identities of Black children from anti-Black violence” (Martin, 2019, p. 472). As research built on Black learners' brilliance and humanity as a given, this dissertation (1) critically analyzes existing literature on Black students' mathematics experiences; (2) documents Black students' positioning of themselves and by others in the middle grades mathematics classroom context; (3) analyzes the instructional practices and activities experienced by Black learners; (4) examines the opportunities that students make to express their multi-faceted math identities; and (5) describes the mathematics experiences that Black learners envision for themselves. To describe and analyze Black students' mathematics classroom identities and experiences, I have produced three papers. The first paper is a critical analysis of existing literature on Black students' mathematics experiences which also argues for the use of race-first lenses in research centering Black students in mathematics learning spaces. The second paper is a qualitative case study of five Black students in a sixth-grade mathematics classroom and utilizes classroom observation, field notes, and artifacts as data sources to examine their positioning in the mathematics classroom. The third and final paper is also a qualitative case study of the same five Black students; however, this paper specifically helps to describe and analyze their placemaking as a form of agency and relies on one-on-one semi-structured intervie (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anna Dejarnette Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Helen Meyer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Juan Gerardo Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Music

Despite hostile political conditions, a vibrant queer cultural scene formed in Appalachia during the 2010s. LGBTQ “pride organizations” in small West Virginia towns used concerts, block parties, and parades for community-building and activism. Local musicians and performers participated in this activity, reshaping local creative and cultural economies to create space for queer performance. Appalachian musicians queered traditional genres and participated in regional cultural activism as well as the national emergence of “queer country” as a network and genre formation. Through these activities, coalitions formed to support local communities through direct and mutual aid, intervene in municipal politics, and participate in statewide political activism. This project uses collaborative ethnography, oral history, documents from archives and the press, and digital/social media analysis to examine how queer socio- musical activities generate LGBTQ communities and activism in Appalachia. It develops a situated theory of queer listening to examine how place and mobility inflect queer identity, community, and aesthetics. Arguing for an attentiveness to audibility politics, the project is a case study that illuminates how queer aesthetics sound out and mobilize grassroots coalitional activism in the United States.

Committee: Danielle Fosler-Lussier (Advisor); Ryan Skinner (Advisor); Katherine Borland (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Music; Regional Studies

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Geography

The Disney theme parks and themed entertainment industry are rapidly undergoing a digital shift in their theming and management systems. This project aims to explore the role of Disney's MagicBand RFID wearables and the affiliated My Disney Experience Network in theme park place-making. Using critical feminist digital geographic theory, this project argues that the complete integration of the digital into theme park spaces and the transformation of guests into data points for tracking and management fundamentally changes the place developed. However, this project uses the concept of intertwined place-making to describe how the fan community is not without agency, and despite this digital shift, the fan community plays an important role in developing these places together with Disney.

Committee: Max Woodworth (Advisor); Kendra McSweeney (Committee Member); Nancy Ettlinger (Committee Member) Subjects: Geography

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

The National Main Street Program is an organization composed of a large network of small towns and cities across the United States. Originating in 1977 as a pilot program through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the program was established to preserve the historic character of main streets and to address a myriad of issues facing older, traditional downtowns during that time. The program utilizes its Four Point Approach, providing both a framework and social network to aid in the redevelopment and management of downtown cores in small cities and towns. This blueprint consists of guidelines on how to affect urban and community change within the realm of downtown via economic restructuring, urban design, organization among institutions, and place promotion. This dissertation seeks to identify: (1) how the Main Street Program emerged and diffused?;(2) how does the Main Street Program structure affect local challenges and placemaking efforts?; (3) does a geographical pattern exist among Main Street Programs' place aspirations?; and, (4) do Main Street Programs mimic other similar Main Street Programs, or do they aspire to other idyllic places – real or fictional?

Committee: Jennifer Mapes (Advisor) Subjects: Geography

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2022, Art

This research project outlines the mental health benefits of art-making and establishes exposure to artistic domains as essential to the art-making process. Understanding the role of intent in behavioral change established the need for external motivators, such as gamification, in the adoption of new habits. Pokemon Go players in Cincinnati, Ohio were studied to understand the relationship between virtual gameplay and physical spaces. Feminist geography and the principles of meaningful gamification informed the design solution, a location-based augmented reality game (LARG) that utilizes artwork by women as elements of gameplay to mitigate patterns of underrepresentation in the arts. The research showed that a LARG would not only increase engagement for those new to the arts but also for those already engaged by providing a new perspective on familiar experiences; travel between locations of gameplay also offers an additional landscape for cultivating meaningful engagement.

Committee: Zack Tucker (Advisor); Willie Caldwell (Committee Member); Eric Hodgson (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Fine Arts; Gender

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

Though art education and creative placemaking are two established fields within the arts and culture ecosystem, very little research examines the intersections of these two domains. Specifically, a gap exists in practitioner voices to share their practical knowledge and experiences in the field. This study is an investigation of intersections between the self-identified practices of specific art educators and the field of creative placemaking. As a participant researcher, I worked with three art educators from around the United States to engage in collaborative inquiry. This study took place from November of 2020 to March of 2021 and the team worked virtually due to a global pandemic. The team of art educators engaged in a participatory action research (PAR) study to investigate their own practice(s) and potential intersections with the field of creative placemaking. This PAR study is grounded in critical theory to engage in inquiry that can promote a deeper understanding of our own contexts and support transformation through dialogic work with people to elevate and voice the unique experiences and expertise they bring to the research. My participant collaborators brought their expertise as a high school art educator, a museum educator, and an arts education consultant. Utilizing a PAR framework, dialogic work occurred virtually through semi-structured interviews, a group call, and individual arts-based inquiry to answer research questions surrounding their work within art education and intersection and divergence with the field of creative placemaking. Using narrative and arts-based methods, the PAR team shared specific stories where their work as art education professionals converges with creative placemaking and the distinct separation they find among the fields. Through this emergent and collaborative process, participant collaborators and I found intersection with their art education practice(s) and the practices identified within creative placem (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Hutzel PhD (Advisor); Christine Ballengee Morris PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Shari Savage PhD (Committee Member); Richard Fletcher PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2021, Art

This research project examined values related to interaction, inclusion, and belonging shared among the people of Traverse City, Michigan. It integrated experience design and critical geography, a critical theory-based framework. Three major themes emerged from this project: transformative placemaking, thirdspace, and codesign. These themes provide insights and practical ways for communities to expand access through tactical and creative actions. First, this project focused on the transformative power of placemaking as both an ideology and a practice. Second, the concept of thirdspace exemplifies how placemaking can transform communities by empowering people to work together toward collective wellbeing. Third, codesign puts the power to design in the hands of a project's stakeholders to shape their own experience. This project's mixed-methods approach answered the primary research question, "What kind of thirdspace design would be meaningful and relevant for residents of and returning visitors to the Traverse City, Michigan, region in a way that facilitates belonging?" Findings are discussed in six thematic groupings, which directly informed the design intervention-the Make a Thirdspace toolkit that stakeholders may use to codesign their own thirdspace. This project invites future investigations into the values and needs that drive communities to reimagine themselves through equitable and revitalizing partnerships.

Committee: Zack Tucker (Advisor); Dennis Cheatham (Committee Member); Jim Porter (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Architecture; Design; Geography

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, City and Regional Planning

This dissertation seeks to better understand how an urban policy, creative placemaking, is adopted within a localized context. Creative placemaking is an ascendant urban policy borne out of a global pressure to adapt to industry changes within the 21st Century knowledge-based economy (Florida, 2002; Howkins, 2001; Jackson, 2012; Nicodemus, 2013). However, there is a need to better understand how a globalized policy response trend is adapted within a localized context, especially with respect to creative placemaking, which is based within a localized identity formation. Additionally, there is a need to understand how areas already dedicated to the knowledge-based economy are adopting creative placemaking for the 21st Century. With this need in mind, higher education institutions and their urban environs are a useful case study for investigating how creative placemaking policy is adopted within an area that has a knowledge-based economy focus. This dissertation research was a qualitative, within case study approach to answer the following sub-questions: (Q1) a policy content question of how does Ohio State University's 15th+High Art District, and its predecessor plans, score in terms of meeting the criteria for being creative placemaking plans?, (Q2) a policy context question of how are current university campus creative placemaking practices perceived by stakeholders?, and (Q3) a policy process question of how equitable is the manifested 15th+High Arts District design? A multiple methods qualitative, within case study research approach was undertaken to answer these sub-research questions through: (M1) a content evaluation of Ohio State University's planning documents pertaining to creative, and proto-creative, iii placemaking policy adoption using a modified American Planning Association's Comprehensive Plan Standards for Sustaining Places evaluation instrument, (M2) a content analysis of stakeholder perspectives on the 15th+High Arts District providing local con (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bernadette Hanlon Ph.D. (Advisor); Shoshanah B.D. Goldberg-Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jason Reece Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kareem Usher Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Public Policy; Sociology; Urban Planning

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

How does it feel to be a problem? This question posed by W.E.B. Du Bois over a century ago is still just as relevant today. This study responds to this question by proclaiming that Black people have not, are not, and will not ever be the problem, but instead be the solution. Following calls to research how Black people transform otherwise oppressive geographies of cities into sites of play, pleasure, celebration, and politics, I investigate how Black young professionals negotiate and navigate urban spaces amid ongoing anti-Blackness, discrimination, racism, and gentrification. To address this question, I conduct an ethnography of the places where Black young professionals patron, visit, and gather. In addition to this, I use interviews from the leaders of three Black social groups and frequent attendees of the social group-hosted events, to unpack the utilities of leisure places for Black young professionals. My study does three critical things. (1) I further complicate our understanding of the Black middle-class by investigating the lives of an often-overlooked subset group, Black young professionals. (2) I contribute an analysis of the highly racialized and classed nature of leisure places in urban cities. I use leisure places as a proxy to better understand Black young professional belonging and placemaking. (3) Lastly, I detail how Black placemaking functions as a form of resistance to white dominance in urban spaces. Black-centered leisure sites serve as a form of place-based resistance to white-centered public and private urban spaces. My study amplifies the Black young professional pursuit of leisure and unpacks how leisure is simultaneously created and contested as Black young professionals (and groups) work to negotiate city structures and policies that are not designed to meet their needs.

Committee: Derrick Brooms Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Littisha Bates Ph.D. (Committee Member); Erynn Casanova Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Public Administration

Any planner will tell you there is no such thing as a magic fix when building a great community, but in recent decades, cities around the world have turned to creative placemaking as a tool for urban revitalization, economic development, and community engagement. Many of these efforts have involved the creation of arts and cultural districts through the use of creative assets and community-led design. This study looks at Canton, OH as an example of how the arts can be an important driver for economic development and the revitalization of struggling downtowns.

Committee: Raymond Cox PhD (Committee Chair); Ghazi Falah PhD (Committee Member); Lawrence Keller PhD (Committee Member); Namkyung Oh PhD (Committee Member); Steven Ash PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Cultural Resources Management; Public Administration; Urban Planning

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Media and Communication

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of Millennials organizing around a social enterprise. It details critical ethnographic methods that include 12 in-depth interviews, and participation and observation for nearly three years of a TOMS shoe company campus club in Northwest Ohio. Visual analysis, political economy, and audience engagement add to a cultural studies perspective that frames this study. Grounded theory principles inform analyses and reveal that the organizing efforts of these particular Millennials involve three processes: living precarity, living affect, and making a local place from a global space. The processes intersect continually yet are distinguishable by various themes that influence a Millennial organizing experience. Laboring as an entrepreneur, laboring in servant leadership, doing charity, and defining needy, work throughout and within club communication in ways that affect members' meaning-making about the club and the TOMS corporation. This research helps define the Millennial experience with one social enterprise in an effort to better understand Millennials and social enterprises in general.

Committee: Radhika Gajjala PhD (Advisor); Barbara Bergstrom PhD (Other); Alberto Gonzalez PhD (Committee Member); Kate Magsamen-Conrad PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2015, Leadership and Change

Many authors point to expanding disparities related to wealth and social benefits brought by globalization and the creative city movement while culture and creativity emerge as growing forces in urban placemaking and economic development. The phenomenon of cultural district formation in cities around the globe presents challenges and opportunities for leaders, planners, and managers. Emerging theory related to cultural districts suggests culture can serve to build horizontal relationships that bridge people and networks from different sectors and professions as well as across ethnicities, class, and interests. Research for this dissertation examined the formation of three urban cultural districts social and their respective organizational networks in different contexts. I employed a multiple case study approach to ask: How do horizontal networks form in the process of planning, organizing and/or ongoing management of cultural districts, and what kinds of benefits do those networks generate within their communities? Field research focused on districts in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Miami. This dissertation is positioned within ongoing discourse around the tension between form and function in the production of space (Lefebvre, 1974/1991) and within the dialectic of centralization and decentralization in urban planning and governance (Friedmann, 1971) characterized by the push for broad social equity and the pull of local control. Research found that strong horizontal networks characterized by dense and active grassroots leadership were present at the same time as relative community stability and higher levels of social and economic equity. Where horizontal networks were weak, social and economic tensions were higher. The research did not examine other potential factors and thus cannot ascertain whether strong networks resulted in greater stability and equity or whether stability and more equitable conditions brought on by other factors fostered the formation of stro (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jon Wergin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Laurien Alexandre Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mark J. Stern Ph.D. (Committee Member); Emily Talen Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Area Planning and Development; Arts Management; Cultural Resources Management; Urban Planning

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Arts Policy and Administration

Recent theories in creative class and placemaking in the new millennium have changed the ways we talk about space, communities, and what role public arts agencies take in order to best support them. This thesis reviews models of public advocacy decision making and how they effect outcomes; explores theories and research in creative communities and cultural development strategies; and investigates creative placemaking and cultural district initiatives at various levels of public funding agencies in order to explore how these policies effect people and their communities.

Committee: Wayne Lawson PhD (Advisor); Candice Stout PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management