Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2014 Moving Social Spaces: Public Transportation, Material Differences, and the Power of Mobile Communities in Chicago Gwendolyn Purifoye Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Purifoye, Gwendolyn, "Moving Social Spaces: Public Transportation, Material Differences, and the Power of Mobile Communities in Chicago" (2014). Dissertations. 1298. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/1298 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2014 Gwendolyn Purifoye LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO MOVING SOCIAL SPACES: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, MATERIAL DIFFERENCES, AND THE POWER OF MOBILE COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN SOCIOLOGY BY GWENDOLYN Y. PURIFOYE CHICAGO, IL AUGUST 2014 Copyright by Gwendolyn Y. Purifoye, 2014 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Successful completion of this dissertation project would have not been possible without the continual support of family, my church, friends, colleagues, and my committee. I would like to thank these many outstanding people beginning with my very wonderful, beautiful, selfless, and loving mother, Earnestine Burton. My mother has been my rock my entire life and I can never repay her for moving in with me as I began this project and for supporting me emotionally, spiritually, and in the special ways that only a mother can. Thank you mother for all of the conversations, encouraging words, meals, drives to campus, errands, and laughter. You are the absolute best. I also owe so much of my overall success to Bishop Reginald J. Burton, Sr. and Pastor Patricia Burton. They were always available for prayer, support, and advice, and motivated me to pursue a project that could lead to changes that can improve the lives of others. My mother and these outstanding spiritual leaders prayed me through the stress and the physical pains associated with this dissertation project and I am forever in their debt and grateful for their wisdom and unconditional love. I must also thank the members of God House of Prayer and Deliverance for all People Holiness Church for pushing me and supporting me. The phone calls, meals, and hugs pushed me toward the finish line and helped me to appreciate the importance of this study. iii Special thanks go to my cousins, who are also fellow church members: Eurnice Harris, LeBarron & Nina Burton, Jerome and Kesha Burton, and Erik and Savannah Mehren. Eurnice picked up many of my church duties and was so generous throughout the writing of this dissertation. She supported me during every phase of this project and her acts of love and kindness took away a lot of stress. LeBarron helped me to overcome some technical difficulties including how to progress with the writing even when my chronic tendonitis flared up. I also have to his wife, Nina S. Burton for reading drafts of the project and helping me capture data through photos and videos. They also provided me with many healthy meals on the weekends so that I could eat properly while gathering data in the field. A special thank you goes to my cousin Savannah who stepped in with the choir and took over my duties when I had to fully commit to the writing of this dissertation. Although she and her husband Erik are in Alabama, I often felt like they were right next to me because they constantly cheered me on and gave me so many needed boosts. I also have to thank Jerome and Kesha for keeping me company on many Monday nights with delicious Wing Hoe meals and ridiculous levels of laughter, which helped me tremendously. I also want to thank my sisters Rose (Audra), Sharon, and Sandra and my nephews and nieces: Brandyn, Anthony, Christopher, Chas, Briyanna, Kendra, and Cade for understanding when my time was limited, for helping me talk through some of the sticky spots in the research, and for providing much needed laughter. And to my sweet Emmanuel, a dynamic and intelligent man whom I am so grateful iv to have met when I did. Thank you for giving me space when I needed it and for your love, compassion, and understanding. There are many people at Loyola University Chicago that I must also acknowledge and thank, beginning with my dissertation director and mentor Dr. Kelly Moore without whom this project would not have come to fruition. Dr. Moore, your advice, wisdom, humor, and patience were invaluable and I will always be grateful and hope to model what you have shown me as I move forward in my career. I am also appreciative of my committee Drs. David Embrick, Phil Nyden at Loyola University Chicago and Dr. Japonica Brown-Saracino of Boston University. My committee elevated my scholarship and never faltered in highlighting the importance of my work or the contributions that it makes to the field, while also pushing me toward richer analysis and broader scopes. A special thanks to Dr. Lauren Langman in Loyola’s Department of Sociology who inspired me at the most crucial times. I am also thankful for my friendship with Dr. Scott Leon of Loyola’s Psychology Department who graciously partnered with me on projects that equipped me skills that were crucial to the completion of this dissertation project. I also owe much gratitude to Christine Wolff, Rosa Negussie, and Stephanie Decaluwe for the administrative support that they furnished along the way. I must also thank Dr. Samuel Attoh, Dean of the Graduate School, for providing me with generous funding resources and for constantly being a ‘listening ear.’ I also want to thank Dr. Jessica Horowitz and Dr. Patricia Mooney-Melvin in the Graduate School and Dr. Dina Berger in the History Department for the dissertation v boot camps and the support that they so freely offered. Funding for my dissertation was provided by the Graduate School’s Advanced Doctoral Fellowship and a fellowship funded by the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation. And finally, I owe a special level of gratitude to the many friends and colleagues who stimulated my mind, helped me talk through my analysis, and who encouraged me in this project. Although there is not enough space to individually thank them all, I want to give a special shout out to some folks: Thank you Dr. Reuben Miller for helping this sista wrap her head around a wealth of information. Thank you Crystal Jackson for all the writing trips, coffee talks, and helping me prep for my defense. Thank you Kimberlee Guenther because you were so instrumental in keeping me on track with my analysis and writing tasks. Kyle Woolley, you not only went out in the cold and took pictures for me, but you were there to lean on throughout this process; thank you. Chez Rumpf and Catherine Gillis, thank you for helping me talk through much of the madness and genuinely supporting me. Lynn Bryan, you’re not only like a sister, but your support during this dissertation has meant so much. You are my favorite wordsmith for sure. To my many other friends in the Sociology Department who took writing breaks with me and kept me in stiches, while also lifting me up as a scholar: Komala Hayes, Latrese Monden, Barbara Kart and Solly Chacko, thank you so much for everything. vi For Mother and Bishop & Pastor Burton who taught me to remain humble and faithful, and to love God no matter what TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiv ABSTRACT xv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Why Mobility Matters 3 Raced Mobile Systems and Economically Segregated Spaces 7 Gender and the Masculinization of Mobile Spaces 10 Social Isolation, Social Interactions and Confined Mobile Spaces 11 Research Study, Background, Overview and Data Collection 14 Research Site 16 Evidence and Analytic Strategy 21 Participant Observations 22 Document Analysis 25 Interviews 27 Mobile Diaries: People of the CTA 29 Recording the Data 31 Analysis of Bus Routes and Train Tracks 33 Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) 33 Metra: The Way to Really Fly™ 37 Unexpected Mobile Experiences and Race 38 My Experiences Riding in Unequal Ways 41 Overview of Chapters 46 CHAPTER TWO: CHICAGO’S HISTORIES: HOW PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION REPRODUCES UNEQUAL SPACES 49 Early Chicago and the Growth of Public Transit 49 Public Transit, Class, Race, and Ethnicity 54 A Brief Overview of the Material Organization of Chicago and Class and Race Inequalities 62 Aggregate Inequalities: Material Differences in Downtown Chicago 66 Unequal Access to the City’s Urban Core via Public Transport 78 Indelible Housing and Educational Inequalities and Segregation 86 Housing and Schools: How Material Difference is Reproduced Through Public Transportation at the Level of Neighborhoods 89 vii Mobile Public Spaces Expose Segregation and Material Differences 94 Conclusion: Why Mobility Matters 100 CHAPTER THREE: EXPERIENCING THE MATERIAL DIFFERENCES OF MOBILE SPACE: HOW PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS REPRODUCE INEQUALITIES 102 Two Chicagos: Differentiated Mobile Spaces 102 How Differences are Designed into the CTA and Metra Systems 103 Discovering Spatial Differences 109 Waiting Expectations and Safety 115 Material