Examining Shifting Geographies of Historically Underrepresented Groups

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This project examines the shifting geographies of an historically marginalized population. Such a population, though historically invisible, has had a profound impact on shaping local landscapes. The investigators will develop a set of novel methods to create a large-scale, publicly accessible and interactive database of locations pertinent to a diverse, underrepresented community over time. Using a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and technical methods, the investigators then plan to analyze the database to evaluate hypotheses about where, how, and why historically invisible communities grow and change. The project’s results will improve the understanding of these processes while also demonstrating the utility of its innovative methods, while the creation of a new publicly accessible Historical Geographic Information System (HGIS) database is a future resource for the community. In addition, the project will train and mentor graduate and undergraduate students in STEM methods and facilitate bridge-building between different theoretical and methodological traditions in the social sciences. Finally, the project will broaden opportunities for participation by the general public in social science research and serve as a model for how HGIS can be used to improve understanding of diverse communities’ invisible histories and shifting geographies. The project is relevant because little is known or understood about where, how, and why historically underrepresented communities grow and change, or about how to study these processes across broader scales in a scientific way. Often, most of what is known about such populations is based on a small number of localized historical case studies, which limit their potential for generalizability and the generation of new knowledge. This project is a comparative study over time as it collects data about the locations and key characteristics of an historically underrepresented group in a large national sample. Methods include the integration of an extensive variety of archival sources and an interactive online geospatial platform. Results will be analyzed systematically, using a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and technical methods, to test key hypotheses from urban and cultural geography, such as gentrification. The results will improve understanding not only of where and how historically underrepresented communities grow and change but will also lead to the development of innovative methods about how such changes might be studied. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.