We are living in a world of gender, but it’s difficult to grasp its shape because of its fluidity and complexity. And yet, many of us are taught to believe that gender only exist as “either-or”, or that it is merely about our own identities. My research about gender in my gender and sexuality course GWSS 200 and GWSS 390 have offered me the tools to better articulate historic and current ideas and experiences related to gender and place. With this interactive zine project, I invite my audiences to question and interrogate assumptions about gender and our gendered world through words and images. I introduce a series of terms and their definitions accompanied by abstract graphics based on my own understanding and experiences. During the reading process, I encourage my readers to embrace and embody those terms through their deeply personal lenses and experiences, as well as through guided intentional practices, like making art pieces or writing poems with the terms and ideas provided in the zine. in so doing, participants examine their own vulnerabilities around gender in a safe space. Unfamiliar vocabularies are intended to evoke questions if not some confusions, but that’s the point. I hope to deepen our awareness of gender-related topics and ongoing issues through a humane, educational, and playful strategy, and eventually, cultivate more empathy within us. 

Environmental justice is a critical framework to engage with when working within urban communities, as all work done in the built environments directly impacts both people and the natural environment. New practices are still being established within urban planning, community development, and community organizing to support effective and meaningful environmental justice efforts. This research seeks to understand how urban communities can work towards environmental justice by increasing access to green space in historically underinvested communities, focusing on Seattle specifically, without catalyzing gentrification and resulting displacement. In order to answer this question, I made an annotated bibliography for 10 sources related to environmental gentrification and displacement prevention as well as conducting 7 expert elicitation interviews. The interviews were 45 minutes long, conducted over Zoom with professionals in the greater Seattle area who had expertise in park planning, community development, community organizing, and environmental justice. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and then qualitatively analyzed through a grounded approach to thematic analysis by creating codes for statements related to environmental justice, environmental gentrification, and practices to prevent environmental gentrification which were then used to extrapolate overarching themes, as well as important individual perspectives. This research both supports the understanding of environmental gentrification as an environmental justice issue, and presents practices for community organizations, park funding agencies, city departments, and urban planners that can help prevent environmental gentrification and displacement from occurring. It is important to note that environmental gentrification is very nuanced, complex, and context dependent, so the findings of my research will not be universally applicable.The findings of this research are primarily meant for Lake City Collective (LCC), a community organization in North Seattle, by providing them with information that can support them in ensuring that their environmental justice work directly benefits the people they serve and does not have unintended consequences.