NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES

COMMUNITY
GEOGRAPHICAL REGION/AREA OF
PEOPLE
DEFINED BY CLOSE SOCIAL
RELATIONS AND
INTERDEPENDENCE
DEFINED AREA NOTED FOR SOCIAL
INTERACTIONS
INVOLVING STRUCTURED EXCHANGE
OF
RESOURCES AND SPECIALIZED
SOCIAL/ECONOMIC
ROLES
LOCAL COMMUNITY
FUNCTIONAL UNIT IN WHICH
GOODS/SERVICES
ARE PROVIDED AND CONSUMED,
INTERPERSONAL
RELATIONSHIPS ARE CREATED AND
MAINTAINED,
PARTICIPATION IN ACTIVITIES IS
SHARED, AND
WHERE COMMUNALITY EXISTS
AMONG RESIDENTS.

SUCH UNITS HAVE A SENSE OF

SOCIAL
CONNECTION AND BELONGING AND
THERE IS A
RANGE OF MUTUAL
EXPERIENCES/CIRCUMSTANCES
NEIGHBORHOOD
A SPATIAL UNIT DEFINED IN TERMS OF
NETWORKS
OF RELATIONSHIPS, REFLECTING
MUTUAL SOCIAL,
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INTERESTS
FACTORS AFFECTING NEIGHBORHOOD
RACIAL COMPOSITION
IMPORTANCE OF RACE IN LARGER
SOCIETY
HISTORICAL FORCES
SOCIAL POLICY AND REAL ESTATE
PRACTICES
TYPE/QUALITY OF AVAILABLE
HOUSING, SCHOOLS,
LIBRARIES, STORES

DEMOGRAPHICS OF CONTEMPORARY
BLACK COMMs
1) HISTORICALLY, SLAVE
COMMUNITIES SHOWED
RICH AND COMPLEX SOCIAL
CONNECTIONS
AMONG MEMBERS.
AFTER SLAVERY, BLACKS STARTED
TO DISPERSE
ACROSS COUNTRY SUCH THAT BY
20TH C
MANY WERE LOCATED IN
NORTHEAST AND
SOUTHWEST WHERE THERE WAS
GREATER
URBANIZATION
2) TODAY, MOST BLACKS LIVE IN
METRO AREAS
[CENTRAL CITIES AND THEIR
SUBURBS]

3) BLACKS REPRESENT THE MOST

SEGREGATED
ETHNIC GROUP IN TERMS OF
NEIGHBORHOOD
COMPOSITION, ESPECIALLY IN
RUST BELT
[NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST]
TYPICAL BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD
51% BLACK, 33% WHITE
TYPICAL WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD
7% BLACK, 80% WHITE
4) THOUGH CONCENTRATION OF
POVERTY IS
DECLINING IN URBAN BLACK
AREAS, THOSE
NEIGHBORHOODS SHOW LOWER
ECONOMICS
AND LOWER HOME VALUES
5) CURRENTLY, BLACKS SHOW
DECREASED
RESIDENTIAL MOBILITYRE:LOAN
DENIALS

6) BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS
EXPERIENCE
GREATER HEALTH RISKS BECAUSE
NEAR
MAJOR TRANSPORTATION ROUTES,
TOXIC
WASTE SITES, INDUSTRICAL SITES,
AND/OR
BECAUSE HOMES ARE OLDER AND
INCLUDE
LEAD PAINT

7) FACTORS SHAPING RESIDENTIAL

PATTERNS
RACISM
REDLINING
FED HOUSING/TRANSPORTATION
POLICIES
RISING URBAN HOUSING COSTS
URBAN GENTRIFICATION

8) DISADVANTAGED
NEIGHBORHOODS
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
OUTCOMES
A) INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS
INACCESSIBLE JOBS
GREATER EDUCATION NEEDED
FOR JOBS
AUTOMATION
ABANDONED HOUSES
DRUG TRAFFICKING/DRUG
ABUSE
CRIME

B) CREATING NEGATIVE LIFE

EXPERIENCES
SUCH AS:
UNEMPLOYMENT
OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
HIGH MURDER RATES
DEPRESSION AMONG WOMEN
POVERTY

DECREASED PRESENCE OF THE

AFFLUENT
DECREASED ETHNICALLY
DIVERSE
NEIGHBORHOODS WHICH
BENEFIT
COGNITIVE DVLPMT OF
CHLDREN;
AND RESULT IN --LOWER RATES OF
AGGRESSION
LOWER RATES OF SINGLE
PARENTS
REDUCED CHLDHOOD
BEHAV PROBS
REDUCED OPPOSITIONAL
CULTURE
9) PARENTING AND NEIGBORHOOD
RISK
TACTICS USEFUL FOR COUNTERING
EFFECTS
OF DISADVANTAGED
NEIGHBORHOODS
INCLUDE:
PARENTAL MONITORING
BEHAVIOR
POSITIVE PARENTING

USE OF RACIAL SOCIALIZATION

MESSAGES
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON
COMMUNITIES
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY
LINKS CRIMINALITY TO LIMITATIONS
IN A
COMMUNITYS SOCIAL RESOURCES
AND ITS
CAPACITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ITS
RESIDENTS
SUCH DISORGANIZATION
EXEMPLIFIED BY:
EROSION OF SOCIAL CONTROLS
LIMITED ECONOMIC RESOURCES
LIMITED ETHNIC HETEROGENEITY
HIGH RATES OF RESIDENTIAL
MOBILITY
APPROACH HAS DEMONSTRATED THE
TENDENCY

TO FIND A NEGATIVE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
COMMUNITY VIOLENCE AND
RESIDENTS
BELIEFS THAT THEY CAN
EFFECTIVELY IMPACT
BEHAVIOR IN THEIR COMMUNITY
RESEARCH BASED ON APPROACH HAS
SOMETIMES
SUGGESTED THAT
DISORGANIZATION OF
PHYSICAL SPACE [BROKEN
WINDOWS THEORY]
CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO
INCREASED CRIME
IN COMMUNITIES
SOCIAL CAPITAL APPROACH
EMPHASIZES SHARED NORMS AND
VALUES WITH
EFFECTIVE SANCTIONS AND
RELATIONSHIP-BASED
INFORMATION CHANNELS AS BEING
IMPORTANT
IN IMPEDING NEIGHBORHOOD
DISORGANIZATION

RESEARCH FINDINGS BASED ON THIS

APPROACH
HAS SUGGESTED THAT AFRICAN
AMERICANS
TEND TO PARTICIPATE MOST
FREQUENTLY
IN CIVIC OR NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATIONS
RATHER THAN IN ISSUE-BASED
[E.G.,
NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH;
SELF-HELP
SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS] GROUP
ACTIVITIES
IN GENERAL, ABOVE APPROACHES
SUGGEST 3 MAJOR
INFLUENCES ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE
ENJOYED
BY NEIGHBORHOODS--1) LEVEL OF INSTITUTIONAL
RESOURCES
AVAILABLESCHOOLS, MEDICAL
FACILITIES.
2) PARENTAL CHARS/BEHAVIOR &
GENERAL

QUALITY/STRUCTURE OF THE
HOME ENVRNMT
3) EXTENT TO WHICH COMMUNITY
INSTITUTIONS
ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPERVISE
AND MONITOR
BEHAV OF RESIDENTS, ESP YOUTH,
AND THE
PRESENCE OF PHYSICAL RISK