Plan To Revitalize The Neighborhood Of The Near West Side

This perfectly relates to the obesity issue my group is addressing for our MAP-IT project. In Wyandotte County 23.9% of individuals live below the poverty line (Kansas Health Matters, 2017). When families live on low income they are sadly forced to make unhealthy choices because they are cheaper and readily accessible. As seen in the Unnatural Causes documentary (2008) just because someone wants to live a healthier lifestyle it sometimes isn’t easy to do. If individuals don’t have access to transportation or extra cash to spend on healthy food they can’t change their way of

There has been a recent phenomenon throughout the United States of gentrification. As older parts of neighborhoods are occupied by new tenants with money, the neighborhood changes and loses its old character. Those who might have lived in those neighborhoods their entire lives are pushed out as rents begin to skyrocket and the surroundings begin to change. This has happened in many neighborhoods. One of the most well known is San Francisco, where technology companies have brought in new software engineers that have caused local rents to skyrocket and people to move out of the area. However, just as importantly has been the influx of new money to Brooklyn, where local neighborhood changes have forced people from their homes, traditional music to be replaced, and old businesses to go bankrupt.

When a neighborhood is gentrified it will not only change the image of it, but also the services available there (Al-Kodmany 2011, 62-63). In other words, gentrification does not only have an impact on the physical aspect of the land, but also the resources that lie there. During the 90s, the Near West Side neighborhood located near Loop, an up-scale neighborhood, sought drastic changes within the area. The changes in racial demographics in the Near West Side indicated that the health risks that affected minorities dropped in the past decade (1992-2002) (Al-Kodmany 2011,

Researcher James Levin’s “Poverty and Obesity in the U.S” from American Diabetes Association, research about the Obesity and Diabetes in Poverty counties/reigns of the United States. Levin believes poverty and obesity are linked to each other. According to Levin’s research “ People in America who live in the most poverty-dense counties are those most prone to obesity. ” . There are many reason that link poverty to obesity, but Levin believes lack of fresh food and inactivity has a huge role in chronic metabolic disease (obesity and diabetes), and cardiovascular death. People who

For most Americans, the word poverty means insufficient access to to housing, clothing and nutritious food that meet their needs for a healthy life. A consequence of poverty is a low socioeconomic status that leads to being exposed to poor nutrition. Since food and dietary choices are influenced by income, poverty and nutrition go hand in hand. There are many important factors that threaten the nutritional status of poor people. The number one factor is not having enough money to buy food of good quality and quantity. Not having enough money can have a profound impact on the diets of low-income people. Limited financial resources may force low income people to make difficult decisions about what kind and how much food to buy. Limited

Poor nutrition in the United States is indeed a scary factor that continues to lead our citizens to chronic healthcare conditions. The article notes “Health People 2020 states the most affected are non-White, Hispanic adult populations are disproportionately affected by obesity” (Kaiser Foundation Hospital, 2014, p. 6)

Anthony, A., & Reeves, D, (2010, December 4). Obesity and low Income in Corpus Christi [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROdyxEBrC8M C

Washington Heights is a unique and ever changing neighborhood at the mezzo-level, but affects the macro and micro. It located in upper Manhattan that is north of Harlem and south of Inwood. Begins on 115th street, it is typically thought to end around Hillside Avenue. This neighborhood has the Hudson River on the west and the Harlem River to the east. New York City’s Community Planning has designated Washington Heights and Inwood as Manhattan Community District 12. These two communities are similar in their ethnic populations, make up the tip of the borough of Manhattan, and are often assessed by the government as one district. The 2003 New York City Community Health Profile reported that 270,677 people living in District 12 and “one in two

Obesity rates in the US are rising due to food insecurity. One in six people in the U.S. are food insecure, while two-thirds of adults and one-third Americans are overweight or obese.14 Studies have found that wealthy districts have three times as many supermarkets compared to the poor.15 Kevin Conocannon of the USDA noted in an interview that people in poorer areas sometimes have narrower variety of food options.16 SNAP recipients face barriers to achieving nutritious diets due to lack of availability in their neighborhood. Healthy food often comes with higher costs, so most people with lower income result to eating foods with lower cost and higher calories. According to a 2009 report by the USDA, as many as 23.5 million Americans live more than one mile from a supermarket with limited access to a vehicle.17 Food Deserts are particularly prevalent in low-income communities.18

Your zip code identifies your surroundings, and ultimately acts as a paramount heath gauge. Whether I put 01605 or 02119, my zip code in Roxbury, I am conscious of the stigma and resources that accompany every number. If you were to place those pivotal 5 digits into google you would get the crime rate, quality of the educational system, and possible restaurants nearby. Though crime rate and education are more recognizable appraisal of health, by established research on stress and economic status of the region, lesser known factors in particular, local food, stands alongside these indicators. Say you have an overweight family of three in Dorchester, MA. The father has diabetes, the mother has high cholesterol, and the child has asthma. Diet would be a priority; however, they are surrounded by McDonalds, KFCs, corner stores with overpriced groceries, and adjacent Dunkin Donut shops. To get the food they need, they would have to either travel towns over, or settle for a more expensive alternative. Unfortunately, that is not practical for many families. Their condition would worsen by their lack of exercise conceivably confounded given the lack of public safety. Your zip code is your living situation, your foundation, and instrumental to acquiring and/or managing disease.

It is also clear that there is evidence that shows a great need in improving people of low-socioeconomic status health because the government has been making efforts. However, what have not been addressed are the barriers that people in low-income communities still face even with government resources. Furthermore, it is also clear that the government saw the importance of making sure that low income families had access to health care when they created Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. While access to health care is also a very important piece to a healthy lifestyle, it also becomes counterproductive when people still continue to have a poor diet and end up having to seek medical help at some point. Giving people the chance to have a better nutrition would also help decrease the number of doctor visits for those who do seek medical attention, and for those who don’t seek medical attention it would at least keep them

It is said that obesity can be caused by not knowing how to combat and prevent this common disease before it begins in poverty stricken areas. Additionally the availability of nutritious food choices and the means to have safe active life style are not available to those who suffer from poverty due to financial and educational disadvantages. Obesity is not just a class problem, but financially disadvantaged people that lack access to quality food will inevitably turn to high calorie processed foods that will stretch their food dollar.

healthy food and exercise are often at the bottom for the list, but in fact are

In the 1970’s a program named the “Safe and Clean Neighborhoods Program” was implemented in twenty-eight cities across the state of New Jersey. By taking police officers out of their patrol cars and into the neighborhoods, walking the beat, the program aimed to improve the wellbeing of communities as a whole. The effects of this program gave groundbreaking insight to the role law enforcement plays in providing the conformity necessary for a community to feel a sense of pride and security. The program also gave way to new understandings of how a community’s aesthetics can either discourage or entice criminal behavior. Ultimately, research following the enactment of the program provided a comprehensive look into the degression of a community’s safety as it becomes increasingly less respected by it’s inhabitants.

Revitalization efforts in downtown areas have gained momentum over the past few decades, this paper is focused on revitalization strategies, recognizing the process of decline, while identifying key strategies used in downtown revitalization efforts over the past fifty years (Faulk 2006). Downtowns, unlike suburban shopping malls or office complexes, evolved slowly over time, responding to changing technologies, social and economic patterns. A city’s identity relies heavily on the image of its downtown, so inevitably cities of all sizes commit themselves to achieving successful downtown redevelopment (Robertson 1995). As I have been reading literature on downtown revitalization a number of strategies and principles have surfaced. Many of