Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 2001. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 662-698).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California. / Microfilm (Positive). Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms, [1971]. 1 reel. 35 mm. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-128).

Street art and graffiti are predominantly made by urban residents to assert their presence in society; address social, political, and economic issues; and transform the physical spaces of a city. Historically dominated by men, the graffiti/street art subcultures are experiencing a rise in the participation by and recognition of women. Existing literature has generally focused on men's involvement, while the discussion of women writers/artists is often limited to how they have remained on the periphery. With the growing use of social media to publicize their artwork and connect with other artists, women are expanding their reach within the subcultures. By adapting traditionally masculine content and approaches to graffiti/street art while incorporating their own perspectives, relationships to the material and social environment, and expressions of identity, women graffiti/street artists are creating unique spaces of artistic expression and transgression, both online and offline. This case study in Oakland, California, uses semi-structured interviews with thirty informants, document analysis, participant observation, and creative practices to examine how women graffiti/street artists change the urban landscape. My research indicates that women artists are both performing and representing their socio-cultural identities, and thus redefining the subcultures in ways that are increasingly nonpatriarchal, nonhierarchical, and decolonial. In contrast to studying only the broad, structural forces in a city, this research contends that examining the individual identities of participants—their lived, daily experience and senses of agency—is crucial for understanding the workings of urban space. This research also contributes to our grasp of how women further important feminist approaches to urban space and dialogue. Situated within the traditions of feminist geography and the geohumanities, this case study aims to contribute to the body of literature on street art and graffiti by emphasizing the transformative impact of women street artists on urban space, urban identities, and an urban aesthetic.

As North American cities experience rapid changes in demographics, communication technology, and economy, how will urban libraries continue to hold meaning and usefulness to their publics? Investigating the position of the municipal public library in the multicultural city, the thesis focuses on how this civic institution can be a social gathering place and a venue that supports multiple forms of communication and cultural contestation. Oakland, California is the site for an exploration of these concepts and their application in a design proposal. Oakland is a diverse and segregated city which is currently undergoing a new wave of development. The city’s history reveals how the formation of urban communities has often been intimately connected with the uses and transformations of public space. The history also illustrates the ways that public life has been performed within and defined by the public spaces of the city. An investigation of the Library’s story and myths highlights the gap between the institution’s utopian self-conception and its less than egalitarian history. To develop new visions for the municipal library, theories about public space and urban life are considered in light of changing technologies and communication methods currently affecting the public realm. The juxtaposition of these concepts suggests that in order to improve the popularity and relevance of the Library, an expansion and diversification of its urban, social and practical functions is necessary. The design proposal for the Oakland Media Library integrates this broadened idea of the Library into the city fabric, and renews the Library’s meaning and usefulness by conceiving it as an urban communication space.

As North American cities experience rapid changes in demographics, communication technology, and economy, how will urban libraries continue to hold meaning and usefulness to their publics? Investigating the position of the municipal public library in the multicultural city, the thesis focuses on how this civic institution can be a social gathering place and a venue that supports multiple forms of communication and cultural contestation. Oakland, California is the site for an exploration of these concepts and their application in a design proposal. Oakland is a diverse and segregated city which is currently undergoing a new wave of development. The city’s history reveals how the formation of urban communities has often been intimately connected with the uses and transformations of public space. The history also illustrates the ways that public life has been performed within and defined by the public spaces of the city. An investigation of the Library’s story and myths highlights the gap between the institution’s utopian self-conception and its less than egalitarian history. To develop new visions for the municipal library, theories about public space and urban life are considered in light of changing technologies and communication methods currently affecting the public realm. The juxtaposition of these concepts suggests that in order to improve the popularity and relevance of the Library, an expansion and diversification of its urban, social and practical functions is necessary. The design proposal for the Oakland Media Library integrates this broadened idea of the Library into the city fabric, and renews the Library’s meaning and usefulness by conceiving it as an urban communication space.

Thesis (PH. D.)--Columbia University, 1930. / Vita. Published also as University of California. School of Education. Division of Vocatioal Education, Division bulletin no. 24; Part-time education series, no. 17, under title: Pupils who leave school. Bibliography: p. 127-131. Also issued in print.

Thesis (PH. D.)--Columbia University, 1930. / Vita. Published also as University of California. School of Education. Division of Vocatioal Education, Division bulletin no. 24; Part-time education series, no. 17, under title: Pupils who leave school. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: p. 127-131.

ix, 102 p. : ill. (some col.) / In a time of rising inequality and declining social mobility in the United States, how might planners work toward a more just society? Numerous theories of structural inequality have been developed to address these issues, and the notion of internal colonialism is among them. As a theory of inequality that identifies patterns of economic domination, and the attendant subordination of certain populations, internal colonialism theory first gained popularity during the Third World liberation movement, and rose to prominence among minority groups in the United States, before fading into relative obscurity. Does this theory still hold relevance today? This study traces the development of Oakland, California through the lens of internal colonialism theory and uncovers the roots of the highly unequal conditions that exist in the city today. A critical reapplication of this theory reveals its ongoing utility as both an explanatory model and a guidepost for charting a path forward. / Committee in charge: Robert Young, Chairperson; Gerardo Sandoval, Member; Yizhao Yang, Member

After the Snow: The Oakland County Child Murders and the Search for the Killer is a work of nonfiction that recounts the murders of four children who lived in the suburbs of Oakland County, Michigan and the subsequent search for their murderer, the Oakland County Child Killer. The first of the four murders occurred in February 1976 and the last in March 1977. This thesis chronicles the unsolved case and the police investigation that began in 1976 and seems close to a successful conclusion in the spring of 2009. Over the course of the last two-and-a-half years, I have conducted lengthy interviews with Cathy King, the sister of one of the victims, and researched primary sources, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, as well as other materials. My research also includes the use of Cathy King’s private and confidential correspondences with people involved in this case.

Brownfield redevelopment is called upon to remedy damaged ecological, economic, and social conditions due to contamination from prior land use(s). It can be utilized as a means for revitalizing low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that have suffered from years of economic disinvestment and a polluted environment. Critics of brownfield redevelopment in low-income neighborhoods argue that this form of revitalization can backfire when property values and rental prices rise and existing residents are pushed out. The City of Oakland has demonstrated a form of inclusionary brownfield redevelopment that incorporates housing that is affordable to existing residents in the area and thus avoiding the form of exclusionary housing witnessed in other cases of brownfield redevelopment in central cities. This report builds on the hypothesis that inclusionary brownfield redevelopments in Oakland can serve as a model approach for other cities in preventing displacement of lower income, residents of color through gentrification. / text