Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Practice

Date of Defense

6-18-2025

Graduate Advisor

Theresa Coble

Committee

Keith Miller, Ph.D.

Lisa Overholser, Ph.D.

The Honorable Robert G. Stanton

Abstract

Historic racism supported practices such as redlining, discriminatory zoning, and racial steering that separated people and determined the flow of resources and investment into neighborhoods. Communities continue to experience the long tail effects of historic patterns of racism. That is, historic inequities influence the opportunities that residents have to connect with each other and thrive in urban areas. Urban neighborhood parks have the potential to bridge social divides and bring a community together. This basic qualitative research study examines two contested heritage sites in St. Louis, Missouri: Fairground Park, a park in a Black neighborhood that has been historically disinvested in, and Tower Grove Park, a park in a predominantly white area that has received substantial investment. Researchers conducted 22 interviews with park goers, residents, community stakeholders, and organizational leaders, immersed themselves in onsite observations, and examined relevant documents and artifacts to explore people-place connections. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, including a priori and in vivo coding of interview transcripts, to understand how participants experience and engage with their neighborhood parks. Our examination of park-community interactions and place attachment in urban parks highlights the importance of memory, social connection, and belonging as factors that support efforts to build and sustain community wellbeing. Researchers produced two research products: (1) a journal article that uses place attachment theory and the PPP Framework to examine how the process and place dimensions of parks create a sustainable community, and (2) a creative nonfiction chapter that harnessed the power of four truth framework to explore the connections that park goers have to their neighborhood park. Respondents from both parks emphasized that memory shapes one’s identity; social connection reinforces memory and belonging; and belonging helps people move from visiting a park to contributing to a community. Our research explored processes that, when combined with policies and investments to address historic imbalances, help dismantle the lingering effects of systemic inequities due to historic racism and ensure that parks are equitable spaces that serve all community members.

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