Introduction
The case study of Bill and Sally’s family revealed that they live in a high-crime area. The community of Phoenix that fits the description is the Central City neighborhood, which has a population of 53,865, a median income of $23,625, and a median home value of $86,237 (Sparkes, 2017). The neighborhood is considered appropriate for low-income families because the average cost of living is 13% lower than in the rest of Phoenix (“Central City, Phoenix, AZ livability,” 2017). As to the geographical boundaries, the neighborhood encompasses an area of approximately ten square miles. In the north and northeast, the community is bounded by the Grand Canal and McDowell Rod, from the south, it is bordered by the Salt River.
Main body
As a historic center of the city, the community has many old buildings that have historic value; however, this means that some of them are in poor condition, which aligns with the bad condition of the house in which Bill and Sally live. As to signs of decay, the neighborhood is improving through the restoration of buildings and implementing water pollution prevention measures. As of now, Central City is not considered a polluted or abandoned area. No abandoned cars or boarded-up buildings were seen. There are amenities that can serve as recreational areas for community members; Desert Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo are located in the neighborhood. In general, families with children and young people visit these recreational areas. Occasionally, people can be seen with pets. No stray animals were spotted. Both areas have restricted access and require tickets to be purchased, which means that only citizens who have a recreational budget can visit them. Also, the area has stores such as Los Altos Ranch Market, Downtown Phoenix, Inc., Family Dollar, Walgreens, Baiz Market Place, and many others. However, the prices at healthy food markets are high, which means that Sally and Bill’s family cannot afford to eat healthily all the time. Drug stores, laundromats, and dry cleaners are present in a variety. Buses and public urban rail systems are the main means of transportation in the area, which are considered affordable to visitors.
The Central City is accommodated with such services centers as Travis L Williams Family Services Center, Phoenix Senior Services, Saint Luke’s Behavioral Health Center, USCIS Immigration Services, and many others. Thus, families can have access to necessary service centers in Central City. The population composition on the streets is highly varied due to the high crime rates in the area; when walking during the day, mothers with children, youth, business people, homeless individuals, and even suspicious people can be seen. The area is under the control of the Central City Precinct police force led by Commander Brad Burt (“Personnel,” n.d.). Since the area has a high crime rate, the patrol of police officers is essential for ensuring the safety of residents. The department’s website claims that the community closely interacts with the task force in reporting suspicious behaviors as well as conducting meetings concerning the improvement of the peaceful environment in this part of the city. However, despite the police efforts, the Central City of Phoenix has an extremely high crime rate, with a total number of crimes being 47% higher than in the rest of the city (“Central City, Phoenix, AZ livability,” 2017). Overall, the extreme criminality of the area is considered the greatest barrier to the prosperity of the neighborhood.
When it comes to the race and ethnic composition of the Central City area of Phoenix, the Hispanic population constitutes 62.7% of the total population of the neighborhood; 22.5% of residents are white while 11.4% are black (“Race and ethnicity in Central City, Phoenix, Arizona,” 2015). Asian residents make up 0.9%, 0.4% are mixed, while 2.1% of the population is of other racial or ethnic descent (“Race and ethnicity in Central City, Phoenix, Arizona,” 2015). Ethnic variance cannot be identified through visual inspection as no information on other languages in English was spotted. The majority of the area’s residents identify themselves as Christian, which aligns with the racial and ethnic composition of the neighborhood. There are several churches in the area that include New City Church, Grace Lutheran Church, Hillsong Church, Phoenix Bible Church, Roosevelt Community Church, and others. The overall social status of the area’s residents varies between middle and lower socioeconomic classes based on the median outcome of the Central City. Since housing is cheaper than in the rest of Phoenix, the area tends to accumulate residents with lower incomes that can afford to live there. In addition, the high crime rate in the neighborhood also supports the judgment that Central City is predominantly populated by lower-class citizens.
Conclusion
Identifying the area’s health status has been complex; however, the high occurrence of violent crimes suggests that the neighborhood is struggling with addressing this health and safety problem. The dynamic nightlife in the area points to the possible drug and alcohol addiction of some population groups; however, no evidence for such has been found yet. There are instances of automobile accidents and teenage smoking although it is unclear whether their prevalence exceeds the rates in other areas. Comparing the Camelback East area of Phoenix that is adjacent to Central City in the East, it is evident that the latter is more residential and is targeted at the development of businesses and nightlife. The Camelback area is famous for its inns and resorts that target tourists rather than Phoenix citizens. On the other hand, Central City is less tourist-friendly and has high rates of criminality.
References
Central City, Phoenix, AZ livability. (2017). Web.
Personnel. (n.d.). Web.
Race and ethnicity in Central City, Phoenix, Arizona. (2015). Web.
Sparkes, S, (2017). These are the 10 worst neighborhoods in Phoenix for 2018. Web.