Using A Five Point Likert Scale

In Streetwise, Elijah Anderson (1990) discusses the social forces at work in an urban area he calls the Village-Northton. His is a sociological field study of the daily interactions between the residents of an area encompassing two communities--in his words, "one black and low income to very poor (with an extremely high infant mortality rate), [and] the other racially mixed but becoming increasingly middle to upper income and white" (Anderson, 1990, p. ix). In keeping with valid sociological fieldwork, Anderson (1990) immersed himself in the community from the summer of 1975 through the summer of 1989.

Living in communities that are run down, neglected and forgotten takes a toll on all members of the community. This is especially true when residents witness new properties being erected around the city as their own neighborhoods are deemed “ghettos” and not receiving the investment necessary for improvements. Many of the low income housing that is available to city residents aren’t the most desirable properties as they may have structural deficiencies, lead paint, rats and roaches running amuck. Many older properties also do not have adequately functioning heat or hot water availability. The housing projects also do not have air conditioning. On hot days, having no cool break in addition to all the other negative social factors, this can be a deadly combination that may perpetuate frustrations and ultimately lead to violence.

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,

Culture in urban communities, also referred to as inner-cities, are growing increasingly violent. In the article, The Code of the Streets by Elijah Anderson, he begins to take an in-depth look at the root of the evil. He deduces that economic factors, parenting and the troublesome environments largely influence the violent norms within this culture.

One other glaring example of the injustice committed by gentrification is the attack on localized social life, which in itself is a manifestation of the many wrongs perpetuated by this so called “painless” process, because before gentrification many of these areas were able to create and foster this sense of communal solidarity, which afforded and allowed them to build generational relationships, which placed an emphasis on creating a real sense of community pride. Therefore, many of the local residents took to the heart in looking out for what was best for their neighbors, thus there was not this sense of entitlement exhibited in residents, but a real sense of pride in knowing that they themselves were able to create something uniquely their own

The Council member Ruben Wills shows how he is helping the neighborhood by giving the people opportunities. However, what good are the opportunities, if there is a bigger problem blocking the chances for betterment. I have grown up in many different neighborhoods, schools, and with people from all kinds of backgrounds. Therefore, my environments have created much of who I am today. Through all of the changes in my life, or maybe because of them, I have learned an exclusive personality and values. When I came to New York, I lived in the Bronx for four years. Then my family and I moved to the Queens where I am currently living. While growing up in my neighborhood I notice one major problem that has been occurring for many years. Society has not noticed the problem to put a stop

The second is social cohesion and trust. Social cohesion and trust was measured by a five-point Likert scale as well. They were asked how strongly they agree to the following statements:

In addition, gentrification has several ways of being creeping into our neighborhood but at the end the outcomes have been quite similar. Our society has always viewed neighborhoods were minorities live in as being the ghettos, slums, or ‘hoods of America. When many of us come across an urbanized area we generally assume violence, drug trafficking, and overall social pathologies strive these places. Once we hear these “ghetto’s” are under going gentrification, we have a sense of relief and we feel there is hope for these communities. Gentrification may seem a blessing to an urban community by many, but if it were to be closely examine it we would find out it isn’t. Although the process has solved many economic issues within cities by providing employment opportunities, increases in property tax revenues and has diminished violence, the aftermath is far worse. (Freeman) Gentrification has increased the

Participants are instructed to answer questions with their current partner in mind. If the respondent does not currently have a partner, he or she should answer with the most recent partner in mind (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986). Each item asks respondents to reply to questions on a five-point Likert-type response scale indicating level of agreement. Below is a sample item from the scale.

Participants are instructed to answer questions with their current partner in mind. If the respondent does not currently have a partner, he or she should answer with the most recent partner in mind (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986). Each item asks respondents to reply to questions on a five-point Likert-type response scale indicating level of agreement. Below is a sample item from the scale.

Typically, us Americans categorize neighborhoods we see into two categories, which are wealthy and poor neighborhoods. After observing families’ income in wealthy neighborhoods compared to poor neighborhoods, they are drastically distinctive. Most families who have great amounts of money generally live in a large house, while those who are classified as “poor” will be found in some unsafe areas. These homes have different builds, exteriors may be maintained or may be filled with clutter, and the families inside these homes may express different wants than the opposite class. Unfortunately, wealthy and poor people both fall under a stereotype. The rich are looked upon as snobby and prude, while the poor are seen as lacking intelligence or they could abuse drugs and alcohol. However, I observed a “wealthy” and a “poor” neighborhood in the city of

streets and neighborhoods in our society. Throughout society we have been taught that those who

One suburb is characterized by a small and quiet society filled with wealthy and materialistic residents while the other possesses many varying community characteristics similar to those like New York City’s. One suburb has one of the highest median house values while the other has one of the lowest values. Furthermore, there are discrepancies between education attainment and income spending statistics, and economic and housing data. However, both villages are located in the same suburban county roughly the same distance from the busy New York City and are inclusive communities that cater to all of their residents as displayed by the many churches and public facilities

There are two forms of community violence identified as witnessing and victimization. Community violence may include acts such as homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, and weapon attacks. Community violence affects all ages and ethnic groups, however, some individuals are more at risk than others. Specifically, youth living in inner-cities are more likely to be exposed to violence at a higher rate than youth living in neighborhoods of higher socioeconomic status (Cooley-Strickland, et al., 2009). Some factors that increase one's chances of experiencing community violence include living in poor, inner-city neighborhoods, being in a gang, using alcohol or drugs, and belonging to a minority (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,

Many neighborhoods in America are composed of people predominately of the same social class and race. When there is an increase of middle-class or wealthier people moving into deteriorating areas, it often creates a process of renewal and rebuilding that displaces the poorer residents. This is called gentrification. When someone moves into a house and increases the curbside appeal it makes the neighborhood more desirable. In turn, it raises the overall cost of real estate within the community, which author Daniel Hertz argues it results in “people can't move to the neighborhoods to which they'd like to move, and are stuck in places with worse schools, more crime, and inferior access to jobs and amenities like grocery stores”. Hertz’s insight on gentrification is that people who are more financially secure benefits from the improvement and raised value of a neighborhood while those who are struggling are increasingly limited in the options they have to move into safer and connected neighborhoods.