This study seeks to understand the everyday experiences of Muslim women in public spaces of a multicultural environment. Moreover, it explores how planning should address the experiences of this particular group. The urban context of interest for this study is New York City because it hosts a multitude of immigrants from an array of cultures and ethnicities thus providing an ideal template of a multicultural city. Phenomenology is obviously well suited to a study of the phenomenon of public space for Muslim women in a particular context, and is the research approach adopted here. Based on data collected through semi-structured interviews and cognitive mapping, this study identifies six core themes, all of which address the importance of religion and culture in the way individuals experience the built environment. First, for the participants of this study the neighborhood environment is experienced as a space with its own religious identity. Mosques and Islamic centers are influential in forming this experience. Second, the built environment is also experienced as a cultural space. Arab stores, Arabic signage, and Arabic language are identified as important factors in shaping their cultural experiences. Third, most of the participants experience both Bay Ridge (the study area) and Brooklyn as physically diverse areas. The mixed-use design gives Muslim women an opportunity to move around more conveniently, without being dependent on their male family members. It also facilitates the process of integration for new immigrant women into the host country. Fourth, the participants experience being different from non-Muslims and they describe how the attitude of other people contributes to their feelings and experiences. Fifth, being exposed to people from different cultures, being in a place with racial and ethnic diversity is associated with pleasant experiences for the participants. And sixth, the last theme suggests that women of this study may experience the pressure of representing Islam positively to non-Muslims in public spaces, while at the same time they feel the pressure of upholding reputation and family honor within the community of Arabs. The findings of this study with its multicultural context suggest that the social construct of space is fluid. Gender, the control of space by the state, and the ethnic/racial/religious composition of space all contribute to how public spaces are experienced by users. The predominant presence of men, police, and social homogeneity (Muslim-only environment, White-only neighborhood, etc) makes the participants of this study experience a more private space . A lesser prevalence of men, less control of space by police, and more exposure to people from different ethnic and religious groups make spaces feel more public to the Muslim women of this study. The study's findings also suggest which places help women create meaning out of their neighborhood lives; mosques, parks and ocean views, ethnic avenues (with an emphasis on Arabic language), shopping centers (the street as a shopping district), and home appeared on almost all women's maps. There were also meaningful places to which women are not welcomed. These places were under the control of Arab men of the neighborhood, through the mechanism of their gaze. As others have advocated, the findings of this study suggest that planners should design spaces in such a way that people of different ethnicities, with different sets of values, have the opportunity to encounter each other. This would promote recognition of individuals who may feel marginalized. For Muslim women in particular, it would require ensuring that services are provided in a manner that allows Muslim women to benefit, i.e. that fits their beliefs. For example, a more visible design of parks and enough lighting as well as an appropriate location (for instance close to mosques or other cultural-religious spaces) would make services more accessible to this group of individuals. This type of planning might also suggest advocating ethno-religious festivals, which can further the recognition of the ethnic or religious values of Arab Muslims and educate non-Arabs and non-Muslims about them. The involvement of ethnic organizations in community planning boards (or at least advocating for them) may be a key factor in integrating minorities into the planning processes. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2010. / Jully 22, 2010. / urban planning, experiences, public place, public space, Muslim women, every day life / Includes bibliographical references. / Rebecca Miles, Professor Directing Dissertation; Peter Garretson, University Representative; Petra Doan, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_253498 |
| Contributors | Mohamadi, Asal (authoraut), Miles, Rebecca (professor directing dissertation), Garretson, Peter (university representative), Doan, Petra (committee member), Department of Urban and Regional Planning (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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