This dissertation explores the maker economy and culture in Detroit, MI and Portland, OR and queries the "Made in Place" branding strategy that relies so heavily on a shared imagination of cities, identities, and values. Bridging the gap between urban economic development, political economy, and affect theory, this dissertation is centrally concerned with how imagination works as a commons and how such "imaginaries" shape each city's milieu of small, entrepreneurial, artisanal producers ("makers"). The constituent elements of "Made in" branding "made" and "place" suggest common understandings of each; this sense of coherence is critical for how value is added to a maker's product. Rather than coherence, however, my data revealed a great deal of tension and ambiguity: how can something be coherent, ambiguous, and mobilized as economic value all at the same time? I answer this question by analyzing data from over 70 interviews with makers in Detroit and Portland, two cities experiencing rapid development and perceptive shifts from "old" to "new." I conclude that the various imaginaries so critical to "Made in Place" branding suggest not just economic rationality, but also a desire for stability in a turbulent world. Theoretically informed by Lauren Berlant, Gilles Deleuze, and Walter Benjamin, I argue that makers' imaginaries of identity, value, and place provide a collective sense of grounding amidst the flux of transition and uncertainty.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1971. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 372-380).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract . Description based on microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-152).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract . Description based on microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-127).

Worldwide, dense urban spaces have been organized and transformed by cultural values. However, in many cases, changes in economic and social conditions have resulted in fragmentation of neighborhood typologies, in terms of their physical characteristics and uses. Such spaces are a manifestation of development, expansion, dislocation and marginalization; a condition that can be improved through an architectural and urban strategy which inscribes emerging forces into the neglected zones of marginal territories. The contemporary context calls for a re-evaluation of public space. To fully engage the people, it is a necessary function of public space to blur landscape, architecture and infrastructure, as these three elements are rarely used in isolation. Public space can no longer be conceived as layers of these components of the built environment superimposed, but rather as an integrated network. As an investigation of the environmental potential of existing urban areas, this thesis attempts to use an integrated network approach to create a local, social and cultural identity in a Detroit neighborhood. By focusing on the important role the public realm plays within the urban landscape, the project creates a dialogue between the natural and built components of the urban realm by taking advantage of the potential of existing infrastructure, social factors and context. The main focus of this thesis creates a design strategy that gives character and identity to an area of the city that has been fragmented as a result of recent changes in economic and social factors. The project achieves this by weaving nature into the urban fabric. The research in this thesis culminates in a project which identifies a marginal area in Detroit and suggests alternative uses for the surrounding spaces, giving emphasis to the natural component of the urban landscape as a tool to critique the re-appropriation of spaces that outlived their original vitality. The concepts and findings from this thesis could be applied in any city towards the ecological reconditioning of marginal areas.

No description available.

In the United States, Mosques and Islamic centers have existed for many decades to meet the social and religious needs of Muslims. However, since Muslims are a minority in this country, they still face some problems since the practice of various Islamic laws and prohibitions sometimes are inappropriate with the Western way of life. Assessing Muslims in the American context, a key issue to consider is the degree to which Muslims may become socially integrated into the American culture. Here the role of the Islamic center, as an institution, is significant in helping Muslims to meet each other and to adjust to the realities of life in America.In general, an Islamic center involves a concentration of facilities for activities which have the characteristic of Islam. Therefore, there is no basic difference in function between a Mosque and an Islamic Center, since the Mosque traditionally is not only a house of worship, but is also the center of Islamic society and culture. The term Islamic center is used in this study to emphasize the interest in the social side of Mosque activities, in addition to religious functions, that might be more appropriate with Muslims life in the American context.The purpose of the Islamic center is to promote a better understanding of Islam and greater acceptance and appreciation of its truth, culture, and contribution to human civilization. As we know, the ethos of Islam lies not only in the connection of individual with God, but also with human relations in the social order. / Department of Architecture

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-193).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-163).

Thesis (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1958.