Jeremy Parsons 鈥12 has filled in the missing history of the development of the Meadowlands with his 180-page master鈥檚 thesis. Parsons traces the history of the Meadowlands, from a Neolithic settlement, to an important Loyalist village, and finally to a large suburban neighbourhood. 鈥淭he thesis is a brightly written and thought-provoking examination of a defining development (and a still divisive one) in the commercial (not to mention cultural) structure of our city. It says a lot about how we relate to each other in and conceptualize our spaces of community,鈥 wrote Jeff Mahoney for .
Case studies like Parsons鈥 show the multi-faceted process of expansion Canadian cities go through, while also providing a richer account of local history. Parsons interviewed residents, spoke with key figures in the development of the Meadowlands and scoured archives to create his nearly 200-page thesis. 鈥淟ocally, I hope it can be a tool for residents and scholars to learn about the history of a place often denigrated as being 鈥榩laceless鈥 and without character, culture or history. I hope that it also raises concern about the cultural and environmental impacts of these types of mega-developments,鈥 he said.
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“I wondered how we could look theologically, |
The research topic was partially inspired by his time as a student at Redeemer. 鈥淲hen I started my undergraduate degree in 2007, there was still a rural character to the campus and to the southern end of Kitty Murray Lane. By the time I graduated in 2012, a lot of residential infill had happened around Redeemer,鈥 Parsons recalls. He also continues to be inspired by the works of Christian thinkers鈥攍ike Eric O. Jacobsen, Philip Bess, and Dr. Craig Bartholomew鈥攚hom he first read for his Redeemer classes. 鈥淭hey all seemed to be pointing to the fact that there is a disconnect between Christian theology and the built environments in which Christians choose to inhabit. There has long been a strong suburban ethos to North American Christianity, particularly among evangelicals. I wondered how we could look theologically, and perhaps critically, at our own backyard.鈥
Parsons鈥 full thesis is available online at . He can also be contacted on Twitter at .
Photo by The Hamilton Spectator