Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Landscape Architecture

Advisor/Mentor

Robyn Lane

Committee Member

Kimball Erdman

Second Committee Member

Jennie Popp

Abstract

This study aims to answer a presented gap in the literature on how gateway community workers and businesses are directly impacted by federal government shutdowns. Three gateway communities were selected as case-study communities for this research based on a set list of criteria, including size, proximity to urban centers, geographic context, and the prominence of their associated park. The selected communities are Bar Harbor, Maine; Estes Park, Colorado; and Moab, Utah. Community profiles were drafted for each community to understand them from a contextual level, including the breakdown of their workforce and other general descriptions of their communities. A combinational approach survey was drafted with questions asking for both quantitative responses and qualitative open-ended responses to gain an understanding of the workers' lived experiences. Survey responses were then analyzed, and common themes were strung together to gain an understanding of the survey pools attitudes and perspectives.

Keywords

National Parks Gateway Communities Federal Shutdown

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