Events that have occurred in the past can be traced along a historical trajectory that is evident in our present day, and those decisions greatly influence the success of future posterity. The construction of interstate-40 through the business district of North Nashville effectively placed this area in economic disadvantage for years to come. Only by examining a small number of past grievances that the Nashville city designers and officials have executedâoften times at the expense of minority populations, can we begin to see the similarities between these historical processes of urban renewal and the gentrification that is occurring today. This thesis examines Nashville as a case study to explore how the influence of public works--specifically those of the federal highway can 'make or break' the success of a community. The relevant literature about Nashvilleâs construction of Interstate-40 was analyzed, and the historical narrative surrounding Nashville's Interstate-40 is contextualized in the larger narrative of the federal transportation policy history. The results of this research found that the local and state highway department did not provide adequate information concerning the relocation of Interstate-40 through the business district of Jefferson Street to the residents. The lack of information prevented the African-American community from organizing a successful movement against the interstate-40 construction. The construction of the interstate resulted in the dislocation of many businesses and families, many of which never recovered economically.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-04202016-073836 |
| Date | 20 April 2016 |
| Creators | Rucker, Sabre Janae |
| Contributors | Aimi Hamraie, JuLeigh Petty, Laura Stark |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-04202016-073836/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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