Kay, Maura
(2018)
Re(de)fining the Rust Belt: assessing regional divergence in the postindustrial Mid-Monongahela River Valley.
Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
The postindustrial narrative is neither pure tragedy nor comedy, but instead a bitter irony. Municipalities that once doled out shining steel rusted over in the twenty-first century. The Monongahela River Valley, colloquially known as the Mon Valley, is a microcosm of deindustrialization’s impact. Home to municipalities with shared histories of manufacturing, the Mon Valley provides a case for determining the role the direction of economic development in the postindustrial period. Why do the conditions of the built environment vary so much between towns with shared experiences? I evaluate the economic status and development projects of fifteen small to mid-size municipalities of the Mid Monongahela Valley (MMV), in order to identify variables of success. Using a mixed methods approach consisting of content analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, and case studies grounded in interviews, I consider what makes economic development projects successful in MMV municipalities. Not only does the Mon Valley depict the physical implications of deindustrialization, but also embodies the capitalistic concept of uneven development. Doctrines of political economy help explore the relationship between former industrial spaces and the production of space. Due to MMV’s peripheral connections to Pittsburgh, I also explore the relationship between political economy and regionalism. Previous literature links the condition of lower valley towns to Pittsburgh’s renaissance, but many questions remain about the spatio-temporal relationship of the MMV. The elasticity of Pittsburgh’s metropolitan umbrella is contested by disaggregate narratives of the MMV. I find that the MMV’s regional identification is fluid and interacts with postindustrial political economy. While there is evidence of divergence in the MMV today, the next steps of economic development remains in question.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
8 August 2018 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
25 July 2018 |
| Approval Date: |
8 August 2018 |
| Submission Date: |
6 August 2018 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
191 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Urban Studies
David C. Frederick Honors College |
| Degree: |
BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Undergraduate Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
rust belt, deindustrialization, monongahela river valley, |
| Date Deposited: |
08 Aug 2018 12:55 |
| Last Modified: |
08 Aug 2018 12:55 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/35112 |
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