Weird city: Sense of place and creative resistance in Austin, Texas

This dissertation revisits one of the most central and enigmatic themes in the discipline of geography, the emotional bond between people and place. Influenced and inspired by the erudite frameworks of place theory, scholars have repeatedly investigated this bond in an attempt to challenge our understanding through a diversity of contextual lenses. Each investigation proves that a sense of place, while visible and readily observable, remains an intractable and fluid concept difficult to fully elucidate. Sense of place studies rarely seek out rigid epistemological frameworks. Instead, these studies tend to rely on a humanistic approach in order to better portray the special "betweenness" of place. The successful sense of place study educates, illuminates, and contextualizes through a rich and holistic portrait of place---a portrait that hopefully challenges the reader to reevaluate his or her own notions of topophilia.;The use of words like "betweenness" and "topophilia" reveals the influence of certain "erudite frameworks" in my own academic training. Mentally armed with the humanistic writings of Yi-Fu Tuan, Nicholas Entrikin and Clifford Geertz, I entered the field ambitiously, ready to investigate and illuminate the processes at work. I asked myself questions like Which theories apply? and What can this study add to contemporary discourse on culture and landscape? It took little time for me to realize that there was no meta-theory to explain what was happening in Austin, and that this dissertation would be no grandiose, watershed contribution to discourse. Words like "theory" and "discourse" met their demise at the corner of 34th and Guadeloupe. They won't be fully revived again until the final chapter, and even then, they will be appropriated in a way that might infuriate dyed-in-the-wool Marxists and inspire Lefebvrian purists to burn these pages with their cigarettes. This is not to say that the applicable literature will be overlooked. The significance of the creative class literature, for instance, cannot be understated. Its influence has revealed itself through a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy of planning and development in urban areas throughout North America (and now abroad). What I mean to say is that fieldwork in Austin challenged the application of theory, widened the scope of investigation, and pushed empirical methods outside of their comfortable, predetermined boundaries.;In order to maintain a central focus and purpose to this research, I was forced to reexamine my own fundamental understandings of the discipline of geography. The following statements reflect my own training as a humanistic geographer. The simplicity of these two basic tenants guided the empirical investigation, theoretical considerations, and writing methods of research: (1) Geography is holistic and interdisciplinary. Geographic studies support diverse methodologies and theoretical frameworks, and encourage a holistic perspective and scope in order to reveal the inherent interconnection of geographic processes. Through the investigation of an ostensibly simple phenomenon like "Keep Austin Weird," this research reveals the underlying and interconnected social, economic, political, and environmental processes that have shaped the Austin cultural landscape. This research hopes to introduce (and reintroduce) a humanistic perspective on the dynamic and interconnected nature of urban processes. (2) Geography is educational and inspiring. By investigating the interconnection and interrelationship between humans and their natural environment, geographic studies educate people about their relationship with place, provide new perspectives on the sustainability of this relationship, and at times, inspire people to improve upon the places they inhabit. This research aims to educate a wide audience about the importance of a geographic perspective in urban planning and development. It is my hope that this research will inspire urban citizens to participate in some way, in any way, in the construction of their cultural landscape.;These two basic geographic precepts underscored everything related to this research. The success of fieldwork relied upon a holistic and interdisciplinary empirical investigation of "Keep Austin Weird," and the success of this dissertation will prove reliant on its application as an educational and inspiring portrait of Austin and Austinites. The first section of this dissertation explains the methods, scope, and goals of research. The next section attempts to portray the cultural landscape of Austin, the ways in which that landscape is changing, and the creative modes of resistance to these changes. The final section helps to contextualize the diverse meanings and impact of "Keep Austin Weird" by suggesting a cautious mosaic of several theoretical frameworks. If this dissertation is successful, these three sections will encourage you, the reader, to reflect upon the experiences, emotions, and meanings you ascribe to place. If I'm lucky, this research will inspire you to actively participate in the construction and preservation of your own cultural landscape.