Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dean, Erin

Keywords

Race, Miami, Florida, Environmental Studies, Suburban Development

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

The physical construction of urban space has a concrete impact on the lives of those who inhabit it. However, the development and redevelopment of some neighborhoods has differed from that of others, and the disparity in the qualities and environment of constructed urban space is closely intertwined with the social relations of a particular community. This thesis explores the processes of redevelopment in the historically segregated neighborhood of Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida. It reviews the development history of the neighborhood, as well as recent development issues that serve as focal points of interaction between residents, developers and municipal government. It also examines the development of the neighborhood through an environmental justice perspective with a critical examination of the distribution of environmental costs and benefits in the community. It ends with a review of some of the cultural factors influencing development and resistance strategies used by residents of the West Grove.

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