The economic geography of MLK streets / by Matthew Louis Mitchelson.
| Author/creator | Mitchelson, Matt, 1978- author. |
| Other author | King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968. |
| Other author | Popke, E. Jeffrey, degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Geography. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 2005. |
| Description | xi, 130 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | The research reported in this thesis concerns a peculiar and expanding group of places across the United States' economic landscape. These places are the 777 streets labeled, in a variety of ways, as commemorations honoring the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK). The purpose of this thesis is to provide both description and interpretation of what the efforts of MLK Street naming activists have--and have not--accomplished in terms of placing MLK Streets within the larger economic geography of the United States. Fundamental research questions focused on the location and prominence of MLK Streets, the amount of business conducted on MLK Streets, the types of establishments located on MLK Streets, and the residential composition of MLK Streets across the United States. Using a variety of secondary data sources and statistical methods in a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment, each of these questions was addressed. This project finds that: the South is a unique region in the MLK Street naming process; MLK Street establishments do not consistently exhibit signs of economic marginalization or disadvantage; MLK Street establishments consistently constitute unique economic geographies, both in form and function; and that race is central to both the contestations and outcomes of MLK Street naming processes. This document concludes that there is little empirical evidence to support the negative economic stereotypes common in popular conversation and media coverage of MLK Streets. |
| General note | Presented to the faculty of the Department of Geography. |
| General note | Advisor: Jeff Popke |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University 2005 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-123). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |