Year of Graduation
2014
Level of Access
Restricted Access Thesis
Embargo Period
5-16-2014
Department or Program
Environmental Studies
First Advisor
Connie Chiang
Abstract
“Gateway to the Forest City?” explores the social and environmental history of Bayside, a small, urban neighborhood on the fringe of Portland, Maine’s downtown. Ever since Portland officials created Bayside out of earth and rubble in the 1850s, they have made changes to its physical landscape with limited, if any, resident participation in the process, or they passed over the neighborhood completely. For its entire existence, then, Bayside has never been deemed worthy of deliberate planning efforts that engaged the entire community, and has become both an environmentally- and socially-marginalized neighborhood. In order to avoid the mistakes of the past, especially in light of the current development project known as Midtown, those who seek to change Bayside’s landscape today must acknowledge the neighborhood’s multifaceted history and include residents of all types in their plans for the neighborhood’s future. This strategy will enable Bayside to transcend the public perception that the neighborhood is only home to undesirable people and industry.
Restricted
Available only to users on the Bowdoin campus.