What Would a Non-Heterosexist City Look Like? a Theory on Queer Spaces and the Role of Planners in Creating the Inclusive City
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What Would a Non-Heterosexist City Look Like? A Theory on Queer Spaces and the Role of Planners in Creating the Inclusive City by Sarah Nusser B.A. in Special Major in Urban Studies Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA (2002) Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in City Planning at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2010 © 2010 Sarah Nusser. All Rights Reserved The author here by grants to MIT the permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of the thesis document in whole or in part. Author__________________________________________________________________________ Department of Urban Studies and Planning May 20th, 2010 Certified by______________________________________________________________________ Professor Larry J. Vale Department of Urban Studies and Planning Thesis Supervisor Accepted by______________________________________________________________________ Professor Joseph Ferreira Chair, MCP Committee Department of Urban Studies and Planning What Would a Non-Heterosexist City Look Like? A Theory on Queer Spaces and the Role of Planners in Creating the Inclusive City by Sarah Nusser Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on May 20, 2010 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in City Planning ABSTRACT Planning has always interacted with issues of sexuality, but the failure of the literature to address these practices explicitly has led to the silencing of minority sexualities in planning discourse and the severe marginalization of many queer people in cities. To better understand the experiences of queer people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) as a basis for creating new planning frameworks that address the realities and diversity of queer lives, this thesis explores how queer people experience everyday space in the city, particularly the places they feel the most and least comfortable being queer. This thesis asks: how do relationships between the design, management, and spatial characteristics of spaces communicate values about sexual orientation and gender identity? How could planners and designers create more inclusive spaces? To accomplish this, in-depth interviews were conducted with queer participants in Kansas City, MO and Cambridge, MA, the progressive cities in their respective regions. I utilize readings on design, politics, and identity to create a Lynchian framework for evaluating spaces based on fit, control, and access. Lastly, I document the performative characteristics of each space identified in interviews with respect to this framework. I draw conclusions from my research findings and discuss the implications for designers and planners and areas for future research. In particular I discuss the process that planners should go through to begin re-constructing the public realm as inclusive of queer sexualities. Finally, I speculate on the kinds of spaces that might exist in a non- heterosexist city. Thesis Supervisor: Larry J. Vale Title: Ford Professor of Urban Design and Planning “Take away, for the moment, the identifiable markers of the gay and lesbian experience, and imagine a social protest movement that, throughout the twentieth century, has created an independent urban culture, suffered police harassment, been legally subject to housing and employment discrimination, and, in response, waged a campaign for social justice that has intensified over the past fifty years. Then imagine, that, as planning historians, we have overlooked these experiences. If nothing else, the implausibility of this occurrence marks the gay and lesbian experience as worthy of current attention.” —Moira Kenney, “Remember, Stonewall was a Riot: Understanding Gay and Lesbian Experience in the City”1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "!#$%&'!()**)+,!-.)/)/0)&,!12$*)3'44!3'5!'!.%$26!7*8)&52'*8%*9!:'+!'*8!;)50%'*!<=>)&%)*?)!%*!2@)!A%2+,B!%*! !"#$%&'()*'+%,$-$./*'0$-$./*1'"'23/($43/(35"/'6/"%%$%&')$-(7589!)8C!;)$*%)!1'*8)&?$?D!EF)&D)4)+6!7*%G)&5%2+!$H! A'4%H$&*%'!I&)5,!"JJKL,!"MNC! Acknowledgements To my parents, who met at urban planning graduate school: I thank you for your steadfast love, interest, and the strong sense of values you instilled in me throughout my life, including the desire to challenge what we think we know. And, also, for the opportunity to experience large parts of the country growing up – from New York to Colorado and mostly in between – you’ve given me the appetite to discover what’s special about any place and to want to know every place. To Leila Bozorg, who I met at urban planning graduate school: there are no words! To my thesis advisor Larry Vale: for his unfettered enthusiasm in taking on this topic with me, his creativity, and his clever sense of wordplay. May we all be living one day in his “queereality.” To my reader Susan Silberberg: for her interest in this topic, her encouragement to be bold, and for her general support (along with her late husband, Ross Silberberg) of research that furthers design and social justice. To my second reader, Michael Frisch: for his comments that pushed me to think deeply about my views on queers in space, for his support all the way from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, and for his commitment to be at my defense in-person. To Queers in Urban Spaces and Planning (QUSP): may the enthusiasm and meaning imparted in our first year be a great sign of what’s to come. To Dixie Junk, and especially Mark Peters: for committing two full days to look at queer space with me in Kansas City. And to all of the wonderful organizations I spoke with in Kansas City about this project. To Cambridge’s GLBT Commission: for their time, wisdom, and contacts. To the people who agreed to participate in this project as interviewees: not only were our conversations a delight and an affirmation, but ultimately, this work is for you. And finally to my friends at DUSP: you inspire me. ! O! ! ! P! ! Table of Contents !"#$%&'()*(+"#%(,&-(.,(%".,($/#!&0(#1(.1%'234!%.21****************************************************************5! R!ST.U!RFT7V!R!ST.U6!:;<<=CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC ""! 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