Neighborhood Connectivity

In the United States, cities have been mobilized as units of analysis to understand how place shapes processes of incorporation for new refugees (Singer et al. 2008).  This article applies the notion of “neighborhood effects” to compare the differentiated resettlement experiences of three newly arrived refugee groups in two urban neighborhoods of the same city (Sampson 2012).  In light of truncated federal support periods for recently resettled groups that limit resettlement agencies’ case management support with these populations, access to neighborhood institutions become increasingly critical.  We suggest that the density of refugee-serving institutions at the neighborhood level, particularly those with educational resources, contribute to divergent trajectories for populations within the same city.  Greater access to these institutions further enhances refugees’ ability to navigate their new milieu, experiences of social and civil belonging, life chances, and ultimately survival in these contexts.  Potential policy-implications of this research include increased attention and sensitivity to neighborhood site selection as well as institutional outreach at the neighborhood level for transitioning groups.

Using Winchell’s Community Development (CD) model, the Urban and Regional Planning graduate cohort partnered with the Whitman Neighborhood Council to follow up on a community health survey and provide alternatives for a community development plan.  The CD model examines the community and individuals within the built and natural environments. The cohort researched Spokane’s neighborhood planning structure and reviewed neighborhood plans. An inventory and analysis of the existing land use and building conditions in the Whitman neighborhood produced large-scale maps helpful in developing alternatives for the Council to review. The community prioritized traffic calming projects near Rochester Heights Park as a way to increase health and public safety with physical activity. Through the City’s Traffic Calming Program, grants for arterial and residential projects were submitted. Crossings for the elders at Magnolia Care were requested for access to the park and for sidewalk connectivity for students and young families.