From the landing of the Denny Party at Alki Point in 1851, to the passenger-only ferry currently linking downtown Seattle with the Duwamish Head, West Seattle’s relationship to the rest of Seattle has been a dynamic and often contested one. Historically, desires to connect geographically and culturally with the services, opportunities, and lifestyles of Seattle run counter to simultaneously held desires to preserve West Seattle's unique sense of place. This tension between separateness and connectedness has forced West Seattleites to grapple with questions concerning their relationship to the rest of the city, a tension which manifests itself in the politics, economics, culture, and physical landscape of West Seattle. Using a variety of texts, from oral biographies and newspaper articles to maps and photos, my research explores the many debates and meanings surrounding West Seattle’s sense of independence and belonging. This research project has been initiated at the behest of a local non-profit institution, 4Culture. The agency is currently involved in planning a public artwork initiative along a new King County Metro Transit bus route running through West Seattle. The artists chosen to lead this project will be informed by my research on the 'sense of place' of West Seattle. Because the new bus route will link several West Seattle neighborhoods with downtown Seattle, the route itself will contribute to the continuing debate about West Seattle’s (dis)connection from the rest of the city.

According to existing research, the goal of the Section 8 program is to allow low-income families the ability to move into areas with overall higher income levels by using subsidized rent vouchers. In theory, this allows them more access to certain resources such as better education and job opportunities. However, there has been a serious lack of research focusing on the personal experiences of participants within the Section 8 program which suggests a one sided, highly quantitative method of evaluating the effectiveness of the program. These quantitative methods also neglect to explore reasons why tenants might prefer to remain concentrated in low-income communities. My research will accomplish two goals: first, to determine the spatial distribution of voucher-friendly housing; and second, to understand tenants’ attitudes towards the benefits and use of the voucher program. In order to do this I have conducted interviews with employees at the Seattle Housing Authority, landlords who accept Section 8 vouchers, and Section 8 participants. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) I geocoded addresses and performed different statistical and cluster analyses to illustrate the spatial distribution of Section 8 vouchers in Seattle. My research aims to confront preconceived notions of the intended use of the program with its actual use as described by Section 8 tenants. It is this discrepancy that ultimately prevents equal access to resources and services, and undermines the overall intention of Section 8.

The purpose of our study was to determine whether crime at the University of Washington is gendered or not and if place, space and development may have played a factor in gender or crime disparities. We collected data by reviewing UW police records to determine the gender of victims of violent crimes over a seven year period (2002-2009). Because of the way data is collected in Law enforcement, we were limited to male and female genders. Additionally, our data for gender depends on what the responding officer determined victim’s gender to be. Our study focused on violent crimes because in these instances the perpetrator will see the victim when they commit the crime and that may factor into whether they commit the crime or not. Unfortunately, we were unable to determine if crimes were hate-based due to sexual orientation from our data. After collecting the data we organized it by crime type and mapped it using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). We analyzed these maps with Place Theory, a method used in law enforcement, which uses specific points (dots) to show where crimes occurred. Subsequently, we superimposed construction data from 2002 to 2009 onto the crime maps and used another theory, Repeat Place Hot Spot to see if any areas had remained constant over the seven years, regardless of development. We are in the process of surveying the campus to see if the community’s perceptions and / experiences match up with our findings. In the future, we would like to do another study using data from SPD to look at the entire U-District.

Our research is focused on establishing a database of cultural and historical information for the Pacific Highway South corridor, part of U.S. Route 99, between Tukwila to Federal Way. We are undertaking this research effort in partnership with 4Culture, a local organization that acts as the cultural services agency for King County providing programs, financial support and services in the arts, public art, heritage and historic preservation. The ultimate purpose of our work is to provide 4Culture with a product its artists can use as reference material for upcoming projects in the area. Initially, our database will inform the creation of audio work that will be part of the RapidRide Soundscape Project, 4Culture’s most recent project for King County Metro Transit. The RapidRide Soundscape Project is intended as an audio sightseeing tour of the RapidRide A Line bus route, which will begin running along this section of Pacific Highway South in late 2010. Our database will discuss specific aspects of this area within two topics: transportation and environment. Transportation has a rich history along this section of Highway 99, from its beginnings as a logging road to the more modern modes of travel, such as light rail, now appearing along it. The environment, and its importance to the native people of the land, will be discussed as well as issues of environmental sustainability, with an emphasis on the Duwamish watershed reclamation project and salmon habitat restoration. By utilizing primary sources, such as oral histories, news articles, statistical data and musical performances the Pacific Highway South corridor’s transportation history, cultural diversity and efforts concerning environmental sustainability will be shown.

In anticipation of the launch of the new King County RapidRide transit routes, Seattle non-profit 4Culture will contract local artists to create digital public-art in the form of MP3 audio. Through music, spoken word and sound, the RapidLine Soundscape Project will allow the rider to experience an auditory immersion into culture as they move through space across the line. Because the creation of this art will require an extensive base of research about the surrounding areas, 4culture has commissioned the Geography Honors department to prepare a multi-media database that will guide the artists in their creation of the RapidRide public-art. This group’s specific focus is the RapidRide B line, which travels from Redmond to Bellevue. We attempt to uncover the distinctive cultural geography of the Eastside region, providing the artist—and eventually the rider— with a deeper understanding of what has influenced the region’s culture . Environment, culture, economics and demographics are the essential themes of the research database. Tracing the major progressions of the land, from forest, to farmland to a post-industrial space, we consider the region’s environmental history. Furthermore, we focus on the rapidly changing communities that inhabit the area using quantitative data, interviews and oral histories, which reveal the rich evolution and diversity of the Eastside’s demographics. Finally we discuss the Eastside’s significance as a megapower for corporate growth, with special importance on the role of Microsoft in altering the cultural landscape of the region. By incorporating photography, audio, maps, texts and interviews to discuss these themes, we aim to deliver an in-depth analysis of the region that will inform and inspire the RapidRide Soundscape Project.

Using the theoretical framework of material culture studies, I investigate what types of objects and commodities signify ‘middle class’ status to people living in different communities throughout the greater Seattle area. An analysis of how affordable/attainable this ‘standard of living’ is follows, as well as a discussion based on study participants reflections upon and reactions to ‘middle class’ as a status signifier and the desirable commodities that make it visible. Differences of ethnicity, age, and gender in connection to variations in material culture and perceptions of middle class in America are also explored. I use quantitative survey methods and ethnographic interviews to answer my research questions.

 The unincorporated area of land in South King County, dubbed ‘North Highline’, and specifically the neighborhood of White Center, is an area replete with a dynamic cultural and ethnic geography with a legacy of deep pride. While the area is nominally associated with the works of one its homegrown artists, the late poet Richard Hugo (whose name is enshrined within the arts nonprofits of Seattle) , little recognition has been to given to ‘voices’ of other artists from the area. Working in partnership with 4Culture, a local organization that acts as the cultural services agency for King County, my research aims to add to a reference database that will be used by artists and government officials tasked with shaping representations of the area for the upcoming RapidShare C Line. Utilizing a combination of recordings of live performances, written works, and ethnographic interviews, my aim is to provide a resource that allows the areas’ residents (past and present) an avenue to describe the spaces that both shaped them and to posit the affects of how ‘incorporation’ into King County or Burien would affect the White Center/North Highline Community.