The Society for American City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH)
National Conference, Toronto, Ontario -- October 3-6, 2013

We have two papers -- who would like to be our third panelist?

This panel will consider the "occupation of Main Street," that is, the assertion of power by any group, whether local, national, corporate, grassroots, etc. We are interested in culling papers which consider how groups have historically or in contemporary times organized to influence the shaping of economies, physical space, material culture, social order, social capital, land use, etc. of Main Streets in the United States or internationally, particularly in smaller cities or rural areas. What are the tactics, agendas, audiences, successes and failures of such groups? How do these stories add dimension to our understanding of planning practice? The two papers on the panel thus far are: my paper on African American social governance groups in southern small towns between 1870-1930 and Jennifer Mandel's paper "Degnan Boulevard and the Origin of a Hub of Black Expression in Modern Los Angeles".

If you are interested in participating on the panel, please email me a one-page description of your paper and a two-page cv by Monday, February 11, 2013. makker@hws.edu

Kirin J. Makker
Assistant Professor of Architecture
Art and Architecture Department
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
BLOG: http://mythsofmainstreet.wordpress.com