Equitable Development in Health and the Environment, Crime and Safety, and Housing and Community Development: Perspectives from Neighborhood Residents

Purpose:  This project used community-based participatory research strategies to engage residents around their growing concerns about equitable development.  The goal was to engage residents in three low-income racially segregated and disenfranchised neighborhoods to discuss their perceptions of equity issues in the areas of health and environment, crime and safety, and housing and community development.

Context:  The researcher worked with MSW students in a community organizing and a community-based participatory research class to conduct five focus groups with 20 residents in three neighborhoods. This project built on a prior student project which engaged neighborhood change makers in research and a dialogue about gentrification. One of the recommendations was to engage residents more directly in this conversation.

Methods:  We partnered with community organizations whose staff also participated in the prior research.  Recruitment was done through these organizations and also through flyers, email lists and community web sites, organizations and businesses.  The research topics and focus group guide was developed in collaboration with our community partners. IRB approval was secured.  Focus group sessions were audio or video recorded, transcribed and summarized. The guide included overall questions, such as: What is important about this issue (e.g., health) in your neighborhood? What are your perceptions of current efforts to address this issue? How well do you think it is being addressed?  What else do you believe should be done to address this issue?  What do you think the community’s role should be in addressing this issue?  Specific questions were also asked about each issue, such as:  What concerns do you have about the vacant lots and buildings in your neighborhood?   How aware are you plans for housing and development projects in your neighborhood?  What are your perceptions of these plans?  How aware are you of the issue of lead in the water and soil in your neighborhood?

Results and Implications:  Residents in all three neighborhoods expressed concern about health issues, including lead in the water and in soil on vacant lots where houses were torn down by the city, and limited access to healthy foods. Obesity and asthma were concerns in one neighborhood, while access to health services were concerns in another.  Overall, residents felt safe in their neighborhoods, but they were concerned about crimes such as vandalism and drugs.  Most agreed that residents could do more to prevent crime.  While residents recognized the need for revitalization, they were concerned about potential gentrification and ensuring that development benefited existing residents. Most felt left out of the conversations about development in their neighborhoods.

The students prepared summaries of their research and focus group findings, which were shared with residents via our partners and at a community dinner in one of the neighborhoods. The results were also shared with city wide organizations working with Policy Link to develop an equitable development strategy for the city.  Through this project students learned the value of engaging community partners and residents in identifying equity issues in their communities, and how to use this information to advance equitable development.