Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2020 Cultural Placemaking in Washington’s U Street Corridor: A Catch 22 Maya Coleman Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Urban Studies and Planning Commons © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/6293 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cultural Placemaking in Washington’s U Street Corridor: A Catch 22 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University by Maya Coleman, B.A. in Political Science Hampton University, 2018 Director: Dr. Kathryn Howell, Assistant Professor, Urban and Regional Planning Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia May, 2020 Acknowledgments To my family and friends that motivated me with constant support and positivity, I could not do this without you. Thank you to Dr. Howell for the outstanding guidance, along with my other committee members Dr. Dickinson and Dr. Fasulo for their invaluable support. Thank you to the universe and God for keeping me grounded. The support from any and all involved in my journey of completing this thesis is greatly appreciated. Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Case Context ................................................................................................................................................ 4 The U Street Corridor ............................................................................................................................... 4 The “City” Within a City .......................................................................................................................... 5 The U Street Corridor Decline.................................................................................................................. 6 U Street Post Riots .................................................................................................................................... 8 Revitalization & Redevelopment of the U Street Corridor ....................................................................... 9 Present Day U- Street Corridor .............................................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 14 Culture ................................................................................................................................................... 14 Formal and Informal Culture ............................................................................................................. 15 Culture in Public Space ........................................................................................................................ 17 Community & Neighborhood Culture ................................................................................................ 20 Community, Place Attachment, & Sense of Place .............................................................................. 21 Placemaking........................................................................................................................................... 23 Informal Placemaking ......................................................................................................................... 24 Black Placemaking .............................................................................................................................. 26 Cultural Planning.................................................................................................................................. 28 Cultural Districts & Cultural Branding ............................................................................................. 29 Black Branding ................................................................................................................................... 31 Gentrification ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Summary & Gaps in Literature .............................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 3: Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 35 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................... 35 Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 37 Observation ......................................................................................................................................... 37 Archival Research ............................................................................................................................... 38 Focus Group & Interviews .................................................................................................................. 39 Descriptive Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 39 Chapter 4: Findings .................................................................................................................................. 39 Characteristics of Formal & Informal Placemaking in the Corridor .............................................. 39 Government Supported Formal Placemaking.................................................................................... 45 Policing of Informal Placemaking ....................................................................................................... 56 Community Structure, Participation and Response to Placemaking ............................................... 66 Placemaking and Sense of Place .......................................................................................................... 71 Gentrification ...................................................................................................................................... 74 Diversity .............................................................................................................................................. 77 Ownership ........................................................................................................................................... 80 The Power of Class in Placemaking .................................................................................................... 83 Placemaking Narratives in the Corridor ........................................................................................ 87 Chapter 5. Discussion and Conclusion .................................................................................................... 91 Role of Informal Placemaking ............................................................................................................ 91 Blackness in Formal and Informal Placemaking ................................................................................ 94 References .................................................................................................................................................. 97 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 104 Figure 1. Municipal Reeves Center 2019 ......................................................................................... 105 Figure 2. U Street Census Tracts 43 & 44 ........................................................................................ 105 Figure 3. Metro PCS, 7th Street and Florida NW, October 2019 .................................................... 105 Figure 4. Murals in the U Street Corridor ........................................................................................ 105 Figure 5. Historic Markers in the U Street Corridor ........................................................................ 105 Figure 6. U Street Apartments and Signage ..................................................................................... 105 Figure 7. U Street Statues and Memorials ........................................................................................ 105 Figure 8. Shaw Outdoor Community Markers .................................................................................. 105 Figure 9. Street Artists in the Corridor ............................................................................................. 105 Figure 10. Street Chair in the Corridor ............................................................................................ 105 Figure 11. Stickering and Graffiti in the U