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The Un-site: by Black Women, for Black Women

Abstract Details

2020, MARCH, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture.
Black feminism and black female identity have reached some level of success in social progression since the 1970s, but in contemporary artistic and business expression, they have barely scratched the surface. What does an ideal urban space for women of color look like and comprise of? A critical analysis of the societal influences on black women is required to understand the multi-faceted influences that undermine these women as professionals and contributors equally as capable as their white and male counterparts. These observations are also pertinent to formulate an environment that encourages their flourishment and substantive identity in the urban context. To achieve a space where black women of any identity can succeed and attain their career goals, spatial scale and symbolism must be considered. An in-depth look into the lives of such women as matriarchs in the small, domestic space to professionals in the much larger urban environment is essential. Black feminists who paved the way for women of color in a white, patriarchal, western society must also be considered. As a long-established system conducted by patriarchy remains dominant, a prevalent network which supports the endeavors of black female identity also needs to be present. Additionally, utopian overtones and methods utilized in spatial and urban design can provide an abstracted way of looking at this architectural and cultural identity for aspiring black women in the dystopic society that exists. In a progressive, “melting pot” metropolis such as Atlanta, Georgia, the cultural, political, and social prosperity of African Americans has taken place for a couple of decades. As a city that hosts top-tiered historically black colleges, it has ample potential for continued and enhanced educational and professional advancement of black women. This city can ultimately serve as a space consisting of multiple spaces—a network grounded via iconographic establishment—where women of color can envision and execute their spatial model to progress their social and economic pursuits. In exposing this phenomenon, an idealized vision of an egalitarian playing field in professional and artistic expressions and in overall society for all can become more of a reality.
Elizabeth Riorden, M.Arch. (Committee Chair)
Michael McInturf, M.Arch. (Committee Member)
122 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Upton, T. M. (2020). The Un-site: by Black Women, for Black Women [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1584001344654082

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Upton, Taylour. The Un-site: by Black Women, for Black Women. 2020. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1584001344654082.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Upton, Taylour. "The Un-site: by Black Women, for Black Women." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1584001344654082

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)