Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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Poverty is an important socio-economic problem with serious negative consequences for consumers worldwide. Currently, there are approximately 57 million Americans considered as the "marginal poor" and 37 million Americans categorized as the "extreme poor" (Newman and Chen 2007). The nuances between these two different forms of impoverishment as well as other forms of poverty (e.g., the urban poor, the rural poor, the immigrant poor) highlight the multi-dimensional and dynamic nature of poverty with economic, social, cultural, motivational, and even political aspects (Chakravarti 2006). Despite the importance of this research domain, little research in marketing has examined multiple faces of poverty and the ways impoverished consumers socially construct the meaning of deprivation. This research offers the first in-depth ethnographic investigation exploring different social constructions of poverty and multiple social identities adopted by the poor within the same geographically bounded setting. While much of the current conceptualization of poverty in the consumer research literature explore poverty from a structural perspective and assume that the poor share a collective social identity, I suggest an alternate conceptualization of poverty that includes the poor consumer's coping strategies and resources, perceptions of various forms of deprivation, and agency construction through five distinct social identities. The Association for Consumer Research through the Sheth Foundation (http://www.acrweb.org) and the American Marketing Association (http://www.marketingpower.com) provided financial support for this research in the form of dissertation grants. / Ph. D.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1964 O97 / Master of Science

The mobile home is one response to the problems associated with the issue of housing affordability. For many individuals mobile home living in a park environment is a viable and attractive alternative to conventional housing. Older mobile home parks, the focus of this thesis, are an integral part of the wider system of mobile home environments. The older parks existing today have been subject to many changing conditions, the scale, rate and nature of which have been felt by all those associated with parks and park living. The role of older parks is unclear and a situation exists which poses problems for some people and is of no concern to others. Older parks are criticized as being, among other things, unsightly, ill-designed, poorly located and the source of a variety of other problems. At least two recent studies indicate that something should be done to improve conditions in existing parks. To begin this task it has been necessary to identify the conditions and problems and suggest a means to remedy the situation. This study of older parks is designed to be used as a framework for developing a public policy regarding the place of older mobile home parks within the metropolitan environment of Greater Vancouver. Moreover, it is hoped that the study will provide an example for smaller communities in this province in how to deal with mobile home parks. The research process has involved a detailed study of the nature of the mobile home and mobile home park in terms of general historical perspective and the particular Canadian experience. A discussion of the state of the mobile home industry in Canada and background to the slowdown experienced since 1974 serve to indicate the close ties between mobile home and mobile home park. Following a review of the constraints and regulations in the system of providing for mobile home parks, and variety of types and functions of these parks, the process and economics of park development are described briefly. The extensive literature review portion of this thesis is justified in terms of its non-existence in a Canadian academic format and the necessity for a more complete perspective of the analytical study. Empirical research for the thesis involved the compilation and analysis of existing physical, operational and management characteristics of thirty older mobile home parks in Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge. Data was obtained by first hand investigation of conditions in these parks and interviews with many parties concerned about the provision for mobile home parks. The interviews included some core questions but were largely unstructured due to the nature of the investigation. Collection of this data was made possible through a summer position in 19 78 with the former B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Motivation for research into this topic was based on the hypothesis that older parks are subject to criticism from a stereotyped point of view and often unsubstantiated claims of problems and inadequacies. The study does identify certain problems associated with some older parks, including poor design and location, park redevelopment and combined commercial-residential operations. Other problems however, can be associated with some parks of any age, and these include park entrance fees, regulations, rent control, the landlord-tenant relationship, poor design and the significant shortage of mobile home park spaces. The research has clearly indicated that there is no such entity as a typical older mobile home park. Thus, the recommendations put forth are meant to account for the extent of variety among parks and to guide policy decisionmaking. The most significant conclusions of this thesis are: 1. The evaluation of park quality is, like so many qualitative judgements in life, a function of personal and societal values and biases. What is adequate and functional shelter to one person may be substandard and offensive to another. 2. Some of the readily apparent problems with older parks can be construed more as institutional in nature rather than as defects that can be corrected by camouflaging o by moving them. 3. Older parks are victims of changing times, escalating land values and urban pressure on the land. It may be that the market will ultimately determine local government planning objectives with respect to mobile parks. This however, will be an evolutionary process, with parks of various forms and vintages remaining for many years to come. 4. The mobile home park is a unique form of land and dwelling tenure. As such, the relationship between landlord and tenant requires close and judicious scrutiny. 5. Official attitudes toward mobile home parks are only slowly changing. It is critical that local governments become more responsive to the issues at hand if the pressures on the existing park system are to be reduced The strategies that can be developed to manage the problems must clearly identify the objectives in mind and for whom the problems are the objects of concern. This thesis will outline the concerns that must be examined in order to promote a comprehensive planning approach toward the future of older mobile parks in the lower mainland. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

This report is intended to shed light on mobile home parks as valuable contributors to the affordable housing stock throughout the United States, as well as in Austin, Texas. In many areas of the country, mobile home park losses to redevelopment have already been proven as problematic. While Austin has not experienced excessive park loss as of yet, as planning initiatives and development trends continue to effect property values, some of Austin’s mobile home parks may be at risk of redevelopment, which leaves the already vulnerable, and typically low-income residents at risk of losing homes and social networks. This paper evaluates current planning pressures in Austin, most specifically the addition of new rail routes, as having the potential to the affect property values of certain mobile home parks; therefore putting them at risk of redevelopment. Recommendations for protection and support of these parks are offered at the local and state level. / text

This is a case study about policy responses to a specific form of gentrification at the urban fringe: the closure of manufactured home parks in Oregon.The study analyzes the following research questions: (a) What factors affected the quantity and distribution of manufactured home parks? (b) Why did parks close? (c) How did the state legislature respond and why? (d) What are the likely impacts of the state response? A wide variety of sources (e.g., key informant interviews, observations of meetings and public hearings, focus groups of park residents, archival materials and secondary data about manufactured home parks) are employed to investigate a phenomenon imbedded in its context.Parks subject to development pressures, as evidenced by their location in an area experiencing population growth and within an Urban Growth Boundary, were significantly more likely to close than other parks. Manufactured home parks were replaced by compact, mixed-use development in urban or urbanizing areas--smart growth. Based on this evidence, this study concludes that gentrification, in the form of park closures, is integral to Oregon's process of metropolitan restructuring.In the wake of mounting publicity about park closures, the 2007 Oregon legislature adopted legislation that supported two ameliorating strategies: (a) reduce the harm caused to displaced manufactured homeowners through financial assistance, and (b) preserve parks where possible through enabling resident purchases from willing sellers. Who pays for the costs of this legislative package and preemption of local ordinances were the most contested issues.This research is one of the first to analyze gentrification in urban fringe areas. To understand the economic dynamics, it applies rent gap theory to the special case of divided asset ownership. It explores the likely efficacy of two types of policy remedies. Finally, by establishing park closures as a form of gentrification related to metropolitan restructuring, this case study raises the question of whether policies could support a kind of metropolitan restructuring that does not take the toll on people and places exacted by gentrification.