Doctoral Dissertation Research: Leisure by Design: The Impact of the Social Sciences on Mass Leisure in America, 1953-1984

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This dissertation explores the impact of the social sciences upon the human-built environment in the United States from 1950 to 1980; specifically, how spaces of mass leisure, such as tourist destinations and world's fairs, were designed. Designers of these spaces, operating in a newly professionalizing sphere, utilized new methods such as operations research, systems analysis, computer modeling, and the rhetorical mobilization of statistical data in their work. These methods were themselves developed in response to the military problems of World War II and the Cold War. Archival research and where possible interviews with practitioners involved will be carried out with focus on the 1962 Seattle World's Fair; the un-built Miami, FL "INTERAMA" Fair; the 1964-65 New York World's Fair; the 1976 American Bicentennial; and state-wide tourism planning efforts in Massachusetts.Findings will be presented not just in STS and history of science and technology venues, but at trade association conferences and journals, including those of the Travel and Tourism Research Association, the International Association of Amusement Parks, and the National Recreation and Park Association.