City of Newark, New Jersey: the Gateway City - Research Paper Example

? of Newark, New Jersey of Newark, NJ: The Gateway Brick Introduction The of Newark is among the most important cities in the State of New Jersey and its administrative role as the seat of the Essex County illustrates its significance. Also known as the Gateway City or the Brick City, it has a history dating back to the 17th Century, when a number of Connecticut families settled there forming a small village (Mumford, 2007). Led by the legendary Captain Robert Treat, the settlers comprising of about 30 families influenced settlement patterns largely due to their strict religious values. Old English religion, commonly referred to as Puritan Congregational Church influenced several aspects of the emergent community for several decades. Commercial and other sociocultural events in the emerging town in the 118th Century took a Puritan influence until other incoming religions diluted the strict cultural and religious values in the second decade of the century (Internet Archive, n.d.). Today, the city of Newark is as shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1: City of Newark, NJ Map Courtesy of http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=SystemMapsTo Iron deposits discovered in the nearby mines changed the economic fortunes of the town, making an important commercial feeder for New York via ferry. The special relationship in the two Cities perhaps facilitated the growth of Newark than if it were not a raw material producer and feeder to other major cities like New York. When the Revolution occurred, the town had sufficient commercial establishment to sustain its conversion into a number of industries including agriculture, banking, insurance, brick making, plaster and corset industries, textile, jewelry, leather and brewery supported by an efficient transport system. Its growth as a leading City in the whole of New Jersey traces back to the days when it started to emerge as nan important business center supporting other settlements as far as New York. Its emergence as a modern City was precipitated by commercial interests from major investors such as Thomas Edison’s bulb and electrical innovations industry nearby, Stephen Crane’s literary works and library products leading to a popular printing press among several other investors (Gombach, 2012). Geography Newark is a City in State of New Jersey, towards the northeast of the State at 40°43?27?N 74°10?21?W and has a geographical stretch of 26.107 miles2 (67.617 km2). A significant fraction of its area (7.35 per cent) is water towards the Passaic River and Newark Bay, with neighborhoods including Belleville Township to the North, Elizabeth to the South, Jersey City to the East and Maplewood Township to the West. Newark City is among the few cities in the US hosting huge populations in their relatively small size when compared to other major cities around the country as shown on Figure a. Downtown positions of the busy city include Market Street junction with Broad Street and provide numerous business locations in broad street view. Submerged areas along the Newark Bay had to be reclaimed from marshy surface to usable areas on which several projects such as airports and ports have been established. Wards distinguish the various sections of the City into administrative regions, with Central Ward occupying the old town’s historical location that houses monumental properties including Lincoln Park and Military Park. The North Ward has the Branch Brook Park, West Ward contains the Fairmont Cemetery and the South Ward has three neighborhoods with Jewish communities as the dominant occupants. City Population Newark City ranks as the 62nd most populous city in the entire country, which is based on the population comparisons with other cities. The population of Newark City with respect to the 2010 census data is estimated at 279,555, with a population growth of about 1.3 per cent since 2000 (CLR, 2012). These figures imply that the city continues to be host to more people within its small space, making it one of the highly densely populated Cities of its size in the State of New Jersey and the entire country. Demographical breakdown given by the population estimation data illustrates that males make up 49.00 per cent of the population at 136,983 against the higher fraction of females. The median age of residents in the City is estimated at 31.20 years, which illustrates the vibrancy of the City as a commercial center. Population growth projections by 2014 stand at 3.71 per cent, projected from the patterns witnessed between 1990 (1.97 per cent) and 2000 (2.20 per cent). With a population of 279,555 against a surface area of 23.80 miles2, the population density of the City is estimated at 11,747.50 (CLR, 2012). Raw Materials, Goods and Industry Traditionally as an agricultural area, Newark City’s population comprised of a significant of portion of the region’s agricultural business. However, with changing urban arrangement and thriving industrial activities, the structure of the City’s economy has completely changed to completely support industrial and service industries. Traditional manufacturing industries include polymer manufacturing, brewery, electronics, leather products, jewelry, chemicals production, machines, beauty products, pulp industries, fast foods as well as agricultural innovations such as greenhouse solutions (Hessey, 2007). In terms of the accessibility of product raw materials, the neighboring areas act as an adjacent location from which cost of production is managed. To illustrate this using the shrinking manufacturing industry potential of the City, chemicals and machine businesses thrived and still hold a significant part of its economy. Service industries have fast taken over the economy of the city, with insurance and financial institutions making massive contribution to the City’s economic profile (AECOM, 2008). The service industry is dominated by commercial shipping activities, which underscores the importance of the City as a transport hub. The connectivity that the Newark Bay and Passaic River provide to the City in terms of regional and international linkage cannot be separated from the economic integrity of the City. Coupled with an efficient port, airport as well as road transports system, shipping is a major commercial industry in the city and perhaps in the entire State. Cargo processing in the shipping business also forms part of the City’s diverse economy. Proximity to major Cities such as Jersey City and New York enables Newark to scale the heights of commercial interaction with the world at large. To illustrate this fact, the City’s cargo processing units handled over 890,000 metric tons of processed material and interacted with over 29 million customers by 2003. According to CityData (2009), information on employment profile for the city’s population in 2004 shows the kind of industries that existed in the area, not more than ten years ago including; information (26,500), construction (41,500), other services (44700), hospitality and leisure (64,600), financial (81,200), manufacturing (93,300), education and health (137,900), business and professional (162,300), transport (217,100) and government (159,100). Source of Agglomeration As a gateway location for the State of New Jersey, Newark has acted as an important city for the nation and State alike. Newark’s rise to popularity among the business community was supported by the availability of important industry drivers, including iron ore, agricultural soils and transport linkage to New York. Raw materials from natural deposits from the neighborhoods as well as readily available human resources contributed to the rise of the City as business hub (Tuttle, 2009). As mentioned above, the role of the investor community in instilling confidence that the city is a productive area for business triggered support industries that keep the economy of the city on the upward trajectory to date. To illustrate this point, the leather industry benefited from the inexpensive transport services to other major cities in the area, making it possible for other support industries to establish in the area. Urbanization patterns in the city illustrate the odds of a small geographical area supporting a massive business community. In view of the vibrancy of the city with regard to labor, diverse immigrant pool of skills has ensured sufficient supply of labor for the various industries in the region. The modern commercial hub supported by an efficient system of transport throughout the State and in the nation enables the City to tap into a diverse economic mix of trades for its survival (Coffins Education Center, n.d.). Growth in Newark Within the framework of the growth factors enumerated above, the path of success for the city can be isolated. From the 2010, economic data availed in table 1 below by Sperling’s (2010), it is clear that the City performed fairly in a few areas, despite a generally lower performance when compared with national economic performance. For instance, job growth towards 2010 showed growth by 2 per cent against 0.35 per cent recorded nationally. Projection for job growth stood at 33.80 per cent compared with 32.10 per cent for the nation. Illustration of income brackets for the households shows that the middle-income classes have a higher component of the City’s population when compared to the national figures. This implies that the growth potential borne by the middle-income classes holds promise to the future growth by the City when compared with growth predictions of the nation. Relatively higher unemployment rates when compared with national figures shows that future growth for the city will have stronger recovery than the national figures. This is also reflected in the household income data, which rates the city lower than the national figures ($35,992 against $50,935). The city of Newark is relatively stable financially. In 2010, the city was forced to lay off about 160 security officers due to financial constraints. However, the situation has so far improved with several rehirings expected. Table 1: Economy of Newark Courtesy of www.bestplaces.net/economy/county/new_jersey/essex Public Goods A number of facilities falling under the category of public goods are available in the City of Newark, just as in the region and around the State of New Jersey. Among the major public goods under the focus of the authorities in the City, include transport infrastructure, health care, education facilities, entertainment and recreation. Transport facilities include Newark’s Port that is home to the third busiest port hub in the whole nation as well as the biggest along the East Coast, which shows the importance of their maintenance to the local, State and national economies. Ports and airports represent an important portion of business connectivity between the nation and the global business community and their importance cuts across the nation. Major roads that the authorities maintain on behalf of the public include I-280 creating links to the north, I-78 creating links with the south, I-95 connects the city via the eastern section among many more. Bridges crossing the Passaic River include Clay Street, Stickel Bridge, Bridge Street, Jackson Street among others. Railways include Amtrak Ramitan Valley, Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey Coast Line among many others (AECOM, 2008). Health care facilities such as the University Hospital and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center with the busiest service schedule within a backdrop of a rising regional and national needs. The City also operates fire department with a force of about 700 fire officials under the Newark Fire Department. Television and other entertainment services have had significant presence in the city, where it has played host for many television and film events under the auspices of the Newark Office of Film and Television. The City also hosts major museums such as the Newark Museum as well as sports facilities to back the rich and captivating sporting culture in the region, with teams across various events having their home in the city. The Urban Landscape Urban landscape of the city takes the commercial and topographical features with the western regions hosting various establishments including industries and other infrastructure. The shipping business, taking place to the east of the city only gained ground through reclamation of the region. As discussed above, the topographical impact on the distribution of economic activities in the influences how residential and commercial establishments are arranged. Residential and industrial premises around the City distinguish its commercial culture into three distinct observable divisions, with suburbs to the west, urban settlements to the south as well as commercial premises as well as industries to the north. Due to the mixed land and water surface as explained above, Newark’s topography contains sloppy and plain formations in order to accommodate the entire stretch westwards where it is composed of land. This implies that the altitude range from the sea-level to the further westernmost point encounters projected rise in topography. High areas to the west, north and south of the city have most human activities in terms of residences and commercial establishments. Housing Table 2 below summarizes the housing state in the city in 2000, where rental and home ownership contribute to the housing arrangement in different levels (AreaConnect, 2012). Both private and public programs support various housing needs in the city, to accommodate the 76.21 per cent of the city’s population in need of rental services. Newark city boasts of having a portfolio of over 40 housing communities across the city (Newark Housing Authority, 2012). These communities host more than 8000 rental units. In addition to these, the city has roughly 40000 housing choice vouchers and several private houses. Some of the places currently under housing development in the city of Newark include Riverside Villa, North point, South Point, Oak Brook, and Kretchmer Homes which are planned to host a total of 850 units (Newark Housing Authority, 2012, par. 3). The households’ profile below provides details on how the housing demand characterizes the market in the city. Table 2: State of Housing in Newark City Courtesy of http://newarknj.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm Crime in Newark City The city of Newark has witnessed a significant decline in the level of crime in the past decade. In 1996, it was rated the most dangerous city in the United States, not so today. It has a crime index of 11 and safer than eleven percent of U.S. cities. The western parts of the city are most prone to criminal activities. The most crime prevalent areas in the city include 1 Springfield Avenue and 750 Broad Street. The table below summarizes the city’s rate of crime. Table: Crime in Newark City Courtesy of http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Newark-New-Jersey.html Transportation New Jersey has one of the most sophisticated transport networks in the United Kingdom and perhaps in the whole world. With Newark occupying the position of a gateway city, its status in the transport structure of the State makes a representation of nearly every aspect of the entire state’s network as shown in Figure 2. Among the most prominent features of the city as a transport hub is the diversity in models of transport that makes it possible to navigate around the city and links up with other commercial and sociocultural locations nearby and far. An efficient light rail system is supported by infrastructure in the city, including systems such as the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, River Line and the Newark Light Rail System (NJ Transit, 2012). Figure 2: Transport Network in Newark Courtesy of NJ Transit Success and Challenges The city proves to be a modern business hub for the region due to the rich infrastructural support, with transport, information and financial services forming the backbone of the economic support. As the industrial city continues to be phased out by the service economy, newer business models for the city will emerge. The population demographics of the city support its growth trajectories, with Just like a modern city in the US, provision of healthcare services forms the most difficult hardship, with a number of health care institutions closing down due to funding challenges experienced elsewhere. Management of the ever-growing population in the city in terms of provision of health care and other vital services proves to be an area of consideration for policy makers (Adubato, n.d.). Housing services for the huge population must also find a lasting solution in order to enable home ownership to shield the population from negative forces housing market. References Adubato, S. (n.d.). Newark rebirth: Healthcare crisis. Retrieved from http://www.caucusnj.org/caucusnj/special_series/newark/healthcare_trans.pdf AECOM (2008). New Jersey’s long-range transportation plan. New Jersey: AECOM. AreaConnect (2012). Newark New Jersey statistics and demographics resources. Retrieved from http://newarknj.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm CityData (2009). Newark: Economy. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Newark-Economy.html CLR (2012). Newark population growth and population statistics. Retrieved from http://www.clrsearch.com/Newark_Demographics/NJ/Population-Growth-and-Population-Statistics Coffins Education Center (n.d.) Newark: A case study of agglomeration and deglomeration. Retrieved from http://www.coffinseducationcenter.com/?p=224 Gombach, J. (2012). Newark City, New Jersey: A guide to its present and past. Retrieved from http://www.livingplaces.com/NJ/Essex_County/Newark_City.html Hessey, T. (2007). Newark. New York: Arcadia Publishing Internet Archive. (n.d.). A History of the City of Newark, NJ: Embracing Practically Two and a Half Centuries, 1666-1913. Retrieved from http://archive.org/stream/historyofcityofn02urqu/historyofcityofn02urqu_djvu.txt Mumford, K. (2007). Newark: A history of race, rights, and riots in America New York: NYU Press. Newark Housing Authority (2012). Building Believers. Retrieved from http://www.newarkha.org/ Sperling’s (2010). Economy in Newark, New Jersey. Retrieved from http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/new_jersey/newark Tuttle B. (2009). How Newark became Newark: The rise, fall, and rebirth of an American city. Piscataway, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. Read More