City Demographics - Essay Example

Demographics al Demographics Introduction The under analysis in the following study is the of Chicago, of the state of Illinois. The city has a high rate of crime, especially at the beginning of 1960 where there was a rise of murders in the city that has a population of approximately three million people. The study will analyze the criminal profile of Chicago, especially in terms of the transitions that have occurred in the city. Through understanding the social and intellectual context of the city, it will be possible to analyze the level, rate, and causes of crime that prevails in the city over the years. The changes that have happened in Chicago over the years in terms of the property value, transportation, and land use will provide a critical understanding of the criminal profile of Chicago. Social and Intellectual Context of Chicago Crime is a social problem in Chicago and several sociological issues affect and fuel the rate of crime in the city. As such, it is important to understand that crime is a normal form of behavior in any environment, but several factors fuel the rate of crime in a specific area. From a sociological perspective, crime encompasses the violations that occur on the prerequisites of the wellbeing and welfare of any human. Any violation of human rights is a crime (Velez, 2009). In analysis of Chicago, several violations of the rights of humans, have led to numerous murder cases in the city. There is a lot of poverty in Chicago, a main cause for the high prevalence of crime in the city. There are various impoverished districts in Chicago where the minority in the country resides, with an example of the South Side district of Englewood. As such, there is an increasing rise of population in the city who want an improved lifestyle and social resources for their daily upkeep. There is also the rise of the culture of the young people wanting more in life and faster success, a fact that they enable through engaging in crime. There also exists the problem of guns in the city where there has been a problem to control the ownership of guns around the city. As such, there has been a focus on reducing crime in the city from every department, and especially with the increased murder of children and women (Sampson, 2008). This is a social problem caused by the prevailing low educational standards in the area. Most of the youth in Chicago districts have dropped out of high school, and not had a college degree. This intellectual problem has also been a high contributor to crime in the area, and especially with the rise of idlers around the neighborhoods of the city (Sampson, 2008). There are generally low educational achievements in Chicago, a fact that has increased the rate of poverty in the city. Increased poverty has translated to increased crime rate with more cases of armed robbery and murders. There still exists racial discrimination where the residents of the city of Chicago fell socially marginalized even in term of the resources available to the people. As such, there is increased crime in the region due to the negative attitudes the various residents of the city have towards life. The majority of the residents of Chicago have low levels of resources to support their lifestyle, a fact that has increased the negative attitudes of the people (Berasco et al., 2011). They have the belief that there are inferior in comparison of the lifestyle of the rest of the cities, a fact that causes them to increase the level of crimes in the area. Changes and Transitions in Chicago There has been a high reduction of crime as reported by the Police Department in the city of Chicago. The level of crime in the city has significantly reduced and in a steady manner. This has been due to the relevant authorities in Chicago taking the various measures of reducing the level of crime in the city. As such, there has been an improvement of the educational standards of the youth, rehabilitation of the drug addicts and sensitization of the people against crime (Lambin & Meyfroidt, 2010). The reports of murders that occur in the city have gone down on an average of at least 5% on an annual basis, and especially since the year 2012. Concerning the changes of land use and property values in the city, there has been an improvement in the sector. Research by the police department and social offices in the city discovered that the major cause of crime in the city of Chicago has been highly due to the increased congestion in the city. There have been plans and actions by the local authority to relocate people away from the city with the aim of reducing crime prevalent in the heart of the city of Chicago (Lambin & Meyfroidt, 2010). As such, there has been the increase of property use in the areas surrounding the city and the creation of more suburbs. The aim of this transition is so as to relocate people and allow more room for expansion of the people. As a result, this has reduced the level of crime around the city areas. The police authority in the city has an easier access and control in the various areas of the city due to the changes that have occurred in Chicago. The concentric zone of transition applies to Chicago, a city well known for the increased crime rates in the area. This zoning has been a major cause for the increased crime in Chicago over the years. The zone of transition has the effect of corrupting city life ad making people more selfish as urbanization in the country increases. There exists a large population in Chicago, a fact that led to the application of the zone of transition in the city (Jørgensen, 2010). As according to the division of the zones in Chicago, there exists the zone one that is the central business district of Chicago. This part of the city has a small population and hosts the major business administration and government offices in the city including the banks of Chicago. The zone of transition is the second zone in Chicago, an area characterized by a lot of congestion, increased immigration of people and poor housing. This is the min area in Chicago with the largest population of people that increase the rate and level of crime. There exist cheap housing facilities for the increasing population. The city also has the third zone where most of the population is the working class who try to separate themselves with the second zone of the city. The level of crime in this area is not high and the intellectual levels have improved over the years. The suburb area is the fourth zone of the city in the concentric zoning model of Burgess. This location has more expensive and organized housing but the level of crime in the area has been largely diffused. The wealthy live in the outer parts of the city where they have enough space to themselves and live isolate lives from the buzz of the city (Lambin & Meyfroidt, 2010). There is a very low level of crime in this area, and almost non-existent. The zoning of the city of Chicago has had the effect of enabling the relevant authority to reduce the level of crime prevalent in the city since most of the population with a high level of crime lives in the second zone near the central business district of Chicago. This makes Chicago among the worst cities in the United States hit by crime and its negative effects. As such, the land use and property values improve as one moves away from the center of the city. The method of transportation changes from being public to personal means. Additionally, this means that the rate of crime improves due to the various changes that have occurred in the city. In consideration of the neighborhood of Chicago, the social disorganization theory best applies in the analysis of crime in Chicago (Jørgensen, 2010). Through understanding crime from a sociological perspective, the relevant authorities in Chicago can ensure the end of crime in the area. As suggested by the theory, the youth develop the culture of crime where they engage in crime as a result of the cultural and social setting of the youth. There exists a lot of street crime in Chicago, a fact that increases the tendency of the youth to involve them in crime, and especially due to the low educational level in the city. Conclusion The study analyses the prevalence of crime in the city of Chicago, through analyzing crime from the perspective of the social and intellectual context in the city. The social disorganization theory explains the outbreak and prevalence of crime over the years and especially due to the existing culture and setting of the city. The local urban authority in Chicago has tried to apply changes in the land use and property value of the city, which improves as one move away from the city. This is to act as an incentive for people to stop congesting the area of the city. Chicago is an area that has the application of zone of transition for reducing congestion in the city. Less congestion in the city translates to less crime. Through the zone of transition of the city, the authority in Chicago has managed to tackle the specific areas that have the high prevalence of crime with the aim of reducing the case of armed robbery with violence and murder cases. The ban on the ownership of guns is also an aspect that will enable the city reduce the level of crime. Crime is a social factor, inevitable and normal in every society. Through analyzing and identifying the root causes of the crime, there is the possibility of ensuring the significant reduction of crime. References Bernasco, W., & Block, R. (2011). Robberies in Chicago: a block-level analysis of the influence of crime generators, crime attractors, and offender anchor points. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 48(1), 33-57. Jørgensen, A. (2010). The sense of belonging in new urban zones of transition. Current Sociology, 58(1), 3-23. Lambin, E. F., & Meyfroidt, P. (2010). Land use transitions: Socio-ecological feedback versus socio-economic change. Land use policy, 27(2), 108-118. Sampson, R. J. (2008). Rethinking crime and immigration. Contexts, 7(1), 28-33. Velez, M. B. (2009). Contextualizing the immigration and crime effect an analysis of homicide in Chicago neighborhoods. Homicide Studies, 13(3), 325-335. Read More