Modeling the Intersection of Human and Animal Geographies in an Urban Environment| A Case Study of Commodified Pet Populations in Chicago, Illinois

• Main Author: LaBrosse, Jason
• Language: EN
• Published: Northeastern Illinois University 2017
• Subjects: Cultural anthropology|Geography|Urban planning
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10239933

<p> The competition for resources between increasingly commodified pets (especially dogs) and human needs has often been qualitatively studied as an aspect of gentrification. This research is a quantitative, GIS-based case study that tests the hypothesis that there are spatially correlated effects on the urban environment where populations owning highly commodified pets cluster. The research began by identifying and mapping populations favorable for possessing commodified pets in the City of Chicago and continued with mapping the distributions of pet-centric and other specific businesses and amenities. The study examined the relationships between the spatial distributions of probable commodified pet owners, various businesses, and amenities. The results indicate commodified pet ownership does affect the urban landscape and may be indicative of a diversion of resources from established public facilities and amenities to those that are dependent on pet ownership. This is a serious issue to examine, especially in times of tighter municipal budgets for publicly funded facilities.</p>