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U UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: I, , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in It is entitled: Student Signature: This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Approval of the electronic document: I have reviewed the Thesis/Dissertation in its final electronic format and certify that it is an accurate copy of the document reviewed and approved by the committee. Committee Chair signature: Exploring the Impact of Food at a Community Development Event: An Analysis of Food Choices and the Principles of Community Development A Thesis In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning School of Planning College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning University of Cincinnati By Andrew Turner B.A. (Hons), University of Strathclyde, 2003 August 17, 2009 COMMITTEE: Committee Chair: Chris Auffrey, PhD Faculty Member: David Edelman, PhD ii Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether there is conflict between the food served at a community development event and the principles of community development. Through a qualitative matrix analysis, this study calls attention to four cumulative food choices: vegan, vegetarian, organic and non-organic, and five principles of community development: participation, education, inclusion, empowerment and sustainability, to determine how food and community development intersect. The study finds that the interconnected principles of participation and inclusion need to be evaluated against the principles of empowerment and sustainability before an event organizer can decide on what food to provide. There is clearly a trade-off between the environmental and social impacts of food choices and their inclusionary potential. The theoretical and exploratory nature of the research also helps define problems and hypotheses that should be considered in future empirical studies. Keywords: food choice; principles of community development; community development event. iii iv Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures ...................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Assumptions .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Organization .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Contribution .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Conceptual Framework ............................................................................ 5 Components of Community Development ............................................................................................ 6 Community ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Development ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Assets .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Quality of Life ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Principles of Community Development ................................................................................................ 8 Participation .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Education ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Inclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 10 Empowerment ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Sustainability ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Models of Community Development ................................................................................................... 11 Self-Help ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Conflict ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Technical Assistance ........................................................................................................................... 13 v Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Chapter 3: Food Choices .......................................................................................... 15 Ethical System of Food Choice ............................................................................................................ 15 Veganism versus Vegetarianism ......................................................................................................... 16 Animal Rights ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Sociopolitical ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Environmental ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Health .................................................................................................................................................. 25 Religion ............................................................................................................................................... 27 Personal System of Food Choices ........................................................................................................ 28 Food Upbringing ................................................................................................................................. 28 Roles and Role Transitions ................................................................................................................. 29 Health and Physical Well-Being ......................................................................................................... 30 Ethnic Traditions and Identities .......................................................................................................... 30 Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 31 Location .............................................................................................................................................. 31 Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 32 Chapter 4: Methodology .......................................................................................... 33 Developing a Matrix as an Analytical Tool ........................................................................................ 33 Definitions........................................................................................................................................... 33 Construction ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Limitations .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Trustworthiness ................................................................................................................................... 35 Food Choice Matrix .............................................................................................................................. 36 Formal Selection ................................................................................................................................. 36 Decision Rules .................................................................................................................................... 37 Validity of the Study ........................................................................................................................... 39 vi Chapter 5: Analysis and Discussion ........................................................................ 40 The Analysis .......................................................................................................................................... 40 Vegan .................................................................................................................................................