Neighbourhood Analysis and Performance - Literature review Example

Introduction Neighbourhoods are defined as geographical locations containing communities with homogenous housing markets. The basis of defining neighbourhoods considers both physical and social realms that a population is contained in. Among the biggest challenges facing the establishment of a neighbourhood is marking of boundaries. For instance, Australia set up the neighbourhood boundaries using Local Government Areas (LGAs). Within these LGAs, individual and socio-economic characteristics were used too to derive the constitution of even larger neighbourhoods. Three key factors determine what constitutes of a neighbourhood. First, the social relationships which are defined by the residents, physical features that include natural and built resources found in that area and the political structures defined by an existence or the neighbourhood’s organization or structure of governance in the area. Physical and social environment influence the well being of children and adults alike and this trickles to neighbourhood characteristics affect children’s behavioural and social development. According to Singer and Ryff (2001) a neighbourhood from which a child comes from reflects on risk taking behaviour such as drug and substance abuse, alcohol intake, engagement in violence and crime and smoking. Singer and Ryff (2001) also highlight that social status affects health outcomes Poor people are more likely to engage in violence and crime and also be affected by infectious diseases hence lower incomes translate to poorer health outcomes (Avecedo-Garcia, 2000) Neighbourhoods require empowerment so as to achieve community security against violence and crime, improve environmental quality against dereliction and vandalism. Empowerment is also aimed at enhancing child development, eliminate community threats such as closure of important facilities and address issues in investment and expenditure. Another driving factor is the absence of power to the people to control the budget and set up citizen-friendly interaction. Neighbourhood profiles are created based on data and statistics that refer to income, health and demographics. Data used is collected through census records and city and county council records. Data used in neighbourhood description is derived from surrounding areas without disclosing the number of household or individuals that live in that neighbourhood. Housing types and community composition also assist in giving neighbourhoods a profile with economic activities of the population elaborately highlighted. Neighbourhood profile of CF24 0DP, Cardiff Cardiff, the Wales capital has a population of about 350,000. CF24 0DP is the postcode of an urban neighbourhood located in Adamsdown Ward, Cardiff Central constituency in Wales. Information about CF24 0DP Newport Road, Cardiff is based on the 2011 UK Census. The statistics used are a representation of the entire are and not the specific address. Information is collected is designed to contained at least 100 people within each postcode group. The local government of Cardiff manages the state of affairs within this neighbourhood. Newport Road and its surroundings are serviced by the Planeswydd department of the South Wales police. Information about the area, community projects and local government services are available on the Cardiff local government website. 50.29 percent of housing in Newport Road, Cardiff is comprised of flats some of which were purpose-built while others were converted. Other housing types include detached and semi-detached houses, terraced and commercial buildings. According to the Land Registry, 126 property sales have been recorded from 1995. 81.25 percent of the housing tenure in Newport Road, Cardiff is rented. This area’s social housing is high at about 44 percent as compared to the national average of 18 percent with most of the housing having single occupancy (Ltd, 2015) UK has a higher female population of 51 percent but Newport Road, Cardiff records a male population of 52 percent over the female at 48 percent. The Market Research Society developed an algorithm to deduce the social grade of a population. Data used in this algorithm was taken as per-household instead of individual basis. The job title and employer to the ‘household individual’ was used and the reference persons were aged 16 to 64. Persons with higher and intermediate administrative, managerial or professional positions and skilled manual workers were less as compared to those working in supervisory, clerical and junior managerial positions and semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers. Approximately 73 percent of the population in this area is white as compared to the overall national UK statistics of the white population that sits at 86 percent. Mixed ethnicity, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other Asian communities plus Black African and Caribbean comprise the remaining 27 percent. 48 percents of Newport Road inhabitants were born in Wales meaning the rest of the population are from neighbouring England, Ireland and Scotland with 3.25 percent being born outside Europe. 26 percent of the residents were students with female residents more likely to be students. Data used included both full-time and working students. Figures used to establish the economic activity does not include persons aged 16 to 18. Full-time students with or without jobs and full-time employees constitute the largest part of the population at about 59 percent. 37 percent of the population was found to be working in retail and accommodation and food industries while 29.75 percent of the population worked in education, health and manufacturing. The rest of the population was distributed in administration, energy, financial services, transportation, information and communication, construction and real estate industries. A report compiled by InfoBaseCymru.net (2015) shows that the crime rates in Cardiff have reduced steadily over the last decade. The rate of all offences per 1000 population has reduced significantly but is still higher than in other neighbourhoods. 4.99 per 1000 persons was the number of drug offences recorded between the year 2013-2014. Newport Road, Cardiff lies within the Planeswydd which is a policing neighbourhood in South Wales Police force area. According to Police.uk (2015), 179 crimes were reported in this neighbourhood in January. Issues of major priority to this community in February 2015 included environmental damage through littering, parking issues and skateboarding. Environmental pro-activity is evident on the Cardiff’s local authority website from which people can enquire on garbage collection and recycling of waste, leisure and recreation areas, parking areas and council tax. Green recycling bags and food caddies have a specific collection time of every one week while black bins for general waste and garden clippings for compostable waste are collected every two weeks. Regardless of housing or location, the Cardiff local authority has worked on how waste is categorized and how access to waste bags and caddies. Waste and recycling bags can be ordered online and issues regarding collection or access to these services can also be reported online or by calling the local authorities. Information on financial support sought after by students and schools present in Cardiff is also available on the local government website. Early childcare, services for young people and adult learning courses are accessible via the same online medium. Cardiff’s local authorities have made major steps in ensuring information about council tax, meetings, strategies, policies, plans and visitors’ enquiries are addressed on the same platform. Social responsibility through online media has set Cardiff ahead in terms of interaction with its residents and future investors (Cardiff.gov.uk, 2015) Research on the links between violence and victimization were found to be part of a vicious cycle in which perpetrators of violence were found to be previously victims of violence. Socio-economic characteristics of an area have been strongly linked to behavioural characteristics within the population of that area. Victims of violence display impulsivity in which decisions are based on immediate concern instead of consequence and also substance abuse. Male youths are mostly associated with such behaviour especially if they are from a lower socio-economic background. The male population in the Newport Road is larger than the female by at least 2 percent. Moore argues that individuals who are likely to partake in violent crimes are usually under substance influence like alcohol and other substances from a survey done on 271 women and 294 men in local pubs. Prevalence of domestic violence in the UK has raised concern over time with 45 percent of the women having experienced this. A publication by Walby and Allen (2004) states that abuse, force and threats, sexual victimization and stalking are among the different forms of domestic violence encountered. This fairly contributive to cases reported and handled in health care, emergency housing and the criminal justice system. However, some of these cases go unreported. Coordinated community response is used to help curb incidences such as this through agencies. These agencies include probation agencies, Women’s Safety Unit which a community based service that advocates for domestic violence victims in Cardiff. Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) which are held in Cardiff provide a platform for agencies to share information and take action to assist high-risk domestic violence victims (Robinson, 2006) Multi- Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) is another forum used to assess and deal with risks and offences associated with dangerous community offenders. MARACs are held monthly but have in recent times increased to every fortnight to reduce if not to entirely eliminate these domestic violence cases in Cardiff. Multi-agency approach has fostered working relationships among agencies and this is very vital in reducing violence and re-victimization. The effectiveness of these agencies can also be attributed the workforce most of whom have years in experience dealing with the criminal justice system. The South Wales Police works in hand with these agencies to utilize the knowledge acquired from community practitioners and representatives of the criminal justice system. The Living Room centre is a drugs and alcohol centre in Cardiff that was set up by the Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs. It offers an empowerment system for drug and alcohol dependents in Cardiff. This charity which was derived from an American research is aimed at helping addicts to build on their assets and strengths rather than pinpointing their weaknesses. Welsh government has in play a 10-year substance misuse strategy it aims to follow to help addicts recover and inform communities on how to curb drug and substance abuse (BBC, 2011) According to the area police, crime rates are falling and this is through the improved effectiveness of police and community policing in Planeswydd. Community policing is encouraged through the Neighbourhood Watch and Neighbourhood Policing Team. Community members can email the local police and crime commissioner to report incidences or raise concerns within the neighbourhood. If an offender is caught, they are given a ‘community sentence’ in which the offender carries out about 40 to 300 hours of ‘community payback’. Community members are sought to nominate a project for offenders to take up. Projects include graffiti removal, clearing rubbish in public areas, making repairs in public buildings like community centres and projects to improve the environment. Critique The purpose of this study was to show analyze relevant data and intelligent sources on crime and incidents, socio-demographic and environmental intelligence and local resources within a neighbourhood. A great number of Cardiff’s Newport Road residents are in supervisory, clerical and junior managerial positions or semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers as compared to those in higher and intermediate administrative, managerial or professional positions or skilled manual workers. Newport Road, Cardiff is an area that experiences crime with 179 crime incidents reported in Planeswydd the policing area of South Wales Police. Environmental issues such as littering and use of public space for recreational purposes such as skateboarding, roller skating and cycling were raised. Community members are encouraged to nominate projects for community offenders to take up. These projects deal in environmental cleanup such as graffiti removal, picking up litter and making repairs in buildings used by the public. Residents in this area are encouraged to take part in community policing by the South Wales Police force, Neighbourhood Watch or Neighbourhood Policing Team. Positive reinforcement traversed to delivery of service to curb domestic violence especially against women and children. 45 percent of women have reported experiencing a form of domestic violence in the UK and the Cardiff administration devised means to help tackle these issues. Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences are held by different agencies in Cardiff address various domestic violence cases and through this forum share information and discuss action to take against offenders and for protection of victims. Police and victim data show that MARACs contribution to safety of victims is paramount and from this data it has been deduced 6 to 10 victims had not been re-victimized. MARACs are an initiative founded in Cardiff and are a great resource for the Wales capital (Williams and Tregidga, 2014) The method used to establish employment rates was done per-household which gives a clear picture of the working force in Cardiff area. This means that the traditional ‘head of the household’ has been abolished and the working force in this area could range from students and more of the female population. South Wales Police force can be considered effective through its community policing policies that enable citizens to send feedback directly to them. Residents are able to email the police commissioner directly which can be considered major progress. Another milestone the Newport Road, Cardiff community has managed to move is through community sentencing. Community offenders contributing to restoration and enhancement as a way of punishment are contributing to the environment and also utilizing the human resource in Cardiff. Access of police feedback regarding crime and incident curbing and also issues of the environment are all available in Ourbobby.com (2015) that has a blog with details of what the police force has done and continues doing. South Wales Police works together with agencies such as probation centres and community initiatives to help curb domestic violence. MARACs act as a platform through which all agencies working to eliminate gender violence discussions on how to grow their contribution is being continued. Though started in Cardiff, MARACs have spread throughout the UK showing just how much a great local resource can be influential. As a local resource, MARACs have contributed to efficiency of the justice system as the agencies work with the police and with each other to curb victimization and re-victimization. This is evident on data by the South Wales Police that shows 6 of every 10 victims have not been re-victimized thanks to their contribution. Over to the flipside, it is apparent that the working population is between the ages of 16 to 64 and though this is effective for prosperity of Cardiff it may also be damaging because some of the kids may be taking up full-time jobs instead of going to school. Community sentencing is a brilliant idea however community offenders would be getting away with this form of punishment all the time. The information that was used to profile the neighbourhood dates to the 2011 Census which is a few years back meaning the population has grown since then and the data used is not restricted to Newport Road neighbourhood. Crime rates in the area are reportedly reducing throughout the years but as compared to rest of the neighbourhoods it is reportedly still high. The community should find a way in which the resources in Cardiff can be used to maximize on all labour to avoid community offenses. MARACs initiatives to combat domestic violence are a great milestone as it is an issue. Those working in these agencies are community members and others conversant with the criminal justice system. Agencies that are outside the criminal justice system contributing to community justice cite a possible problem in the legal processes of the Cardiff community. Drug and substance abuse is evident from the rates shown and this cannot be ignored against behavioural violence and risk taking behaviour it is associated with. Individuals under the influence may engage in violent activities and crime to get access to these substances. Community responses to drug and substance abuse are essential to accomplish community security and in turn cohesion and progress. Rehabilitation centres such the Living Room which has been set up to counter drug and substance abuse and help drug addicts recover are significant in abolishing substance abuse (BBC News, 2011) Domestic violence victims are likely to receive a form of bias considering the offenders are reported to these agencies from where a report is filed with the South Wales Police department. It is also very likely that this bias may lead to a form of injustice against the offender regardless of whether they did or did not commit the offence. Agencies act on saving domestic violence victims in the community and further ensure their protection and empowerment however, the source of the problem is much bigger. Educating the masses both men and women alike on the destruction caused by violence both on families and individuals should be embraced rather than just punishing the offenders. Though 6 of every 10 victims do not experience re-victimization, the issue still lies in the other percentage that is still affected. Judicial and community systems have almost ignored the repercussions of punishing offenders without enlightening them on issues related to violence in the home. Though strategy is being used to help in abolishing drug and substance abuse, a greater impact would be felt and seen if the methods used coincide with community members and their practice. Information on how drugs and other substances are accessed are better understood from within the community rather than an initiative that worked for another community in a different location. Conclusion Newport Road, Cardiff is a representation of neighbourhoods in the area and still reflective what communities in the area experience, what they have and what they have to work on. It is evident that the local government, police force and the Cardiff community are working as a unit despite the levels of crime and incidences in the area. Consistent and direct contact through a blog put up by the police force and direct communication with authorities through email and community setups to deal with community offenders are assisting in reducing crime and improving the physical and social environment of the neighbourhood. Community members’ contribution to progress of the neighbourhood is vital for the sustenance of socio-economic intelligence and environment. Initiatives to help the community members serve each other and the neighbourhood as a whole has a great impact on the city because the MARACs have moved and spread across Welsh neighbourhoods and throughout the UK. References Acevedo-Garcia, D. (2000). Residential Segregation and the Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases. Social Science & Medicine, 51(8) pp. 1143-1161. Addictionhelper.com, (2012). Drug and Alcohol Rehabs in Cardiff. [online] Available at: http://www.addictionhelper.com/uk/glamorgan/cardiff/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. BBC News, (2011). New charity to 'empower' addicts. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-14834556 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Cardiff.gov.uk, (2015). Resident - Cardiff.gov.uk. [online] Available at: https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Clapp, J. and Wang, Y. (2003). Defining Neighborhood Boundaries: The Use of Transactions Data. 3rd ed. [ebook] Connecticut: University of Connecticut, pp.2-4. Available at: http://www.centerforurbanstudies.com/documents/electronic_library/neighborhoods/definingneighborhoodboundaries11202003.pdf [Accessed 19 Mar. 2015]. Infobasecymru.net, (2015). Map | Rates of police recorded crime per 1,000 people | Community safety | Themes | Home - InfoBaseCymru. [online] Available at: http://www.infobasecymru.net/IAS/themes/communitysafety/report?reportId=1&viewId=6&geoReportId=10826&geoId=1&geoSubsetId= [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Ltd, W. (2015). Interesting Information for Newport Road, Cardiff, Wales, CF24 0DP Postcode. [online] StreetCheck. Available at: https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/cf240dp [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Moore, C. S. and Foreman-Peck, J. (2009). Alcohol Consumption Predicts Violent Victimization, Impulsive Decision Making Predicts Violence. The Open Behavioral Science Journal, 3, pp.28-33. Available at: http://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOBSJ/TOBSJ-3-28.pdf [ Accessed 20 Mar. 2015] Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk, (2015). Neighbourhood Statistics - Home Page. [online] Available at: https://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Ourbobby.com, (2015). Cardiff Local Authority - OurBobby. [online] Available at: http://ourbobby.com/EN/FE/Local.aspx?n1=1&n2=8 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Police.uk, (2015). Plasnewydd, South Wales Police - Police.uk. [online] Available at: http://www.police.uk/south-wales/84/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015]. Robinson, A. (2006). Reducing Repeat Victimization Among High-Risk Victims of Domestic Violence: The Benefits of a Coordinated Community Response in Cardiff, Wales. Violence Against Women, 12(8), pp.761-788. Sastry, N., Pebley R.A., and Zonta M. (2002). Neighbourhood Definitions and the Spatial Dimension of Daily Life in Lost Angeles. RAND, pp. 3-5 Available at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/drafts/2006/DRU2400.8.pdf [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015] Singer, B. and Ryff, C. (2001). New horizons in health. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Walby, S. and Allen, J. (2004). Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. London: Home Office. Williams, M. and Tregidga, J. (2014). Hate Crime Victimization in Wales: Psychological and Physical Impacts Across Seven Hate Crime Victim Types. British Journal of Criminology, 54(5), pp.946-967. Youth Foundation. (2010) How Can Neighbourhoods be Understood and Defined? TheYouth Foundation, pp. 7-12 Available at: http://youngfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/How-can-neighbourhoods-be-understood-and-defined-August-2010.pdf [Accessed 21 Mar. 2015] Read More

The Market Research Society developed an algorithm to deduce the social grade of a population. Data used in this algorithm was taken as per-household instead of individual basis. The job title and employer to the ‘household individual’ was used and the reference persons were aged 16 to 64. Persons with higher and intermediate administrative, managerial or professional positions and skilled manual workers were less as compared to those working in supervisory, clerical and junior managerial positions and semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers.

Approximately 73 percent of the population in this area is white as compared to the overall national UK statistics of the white population that sits at 86 percent. Mixed ethnicity, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other Asian communities plus Black African and Caribbean comprise the remaining 27 percent. 48 percents of Newport Road inhabitants were born in Wales meaning the rest of the population are from neighbouring England, Ireland and Scotland with 3.25 percent being born outside Europe.

26 percent of the residents were students with female residents more likely to be students. Data used included both full-time and working students. Figures used to establish the economic activity does not include persons aged 16 to 18. Full-time students with or without jobs and full-time employees constitute the largest part of the population at about 59 percent. 37 percent of the population was found to be working in retail and accommodation and food industries while 29.75 percent of the population worked in education, health and manufacturing.

The rest of the population was distributed in administration, energy, financial services, transportation, information and communication, construction and real estate industries. A report compiled by InfoBaseCymru.net (2015) shows that the crime rates in Cardiff have reduced steadily over the last decade. The rate of all offences per 1000 population has reduced significantly but is still higher than in other neighbourhoods. 4.99 per 1000 persons was the number of drug offences recorded between the year 2013-2014.

Newport Road, Cardiff lies within the Planeswydd which is a policing neighbourhood in South Wales Police force area. According to Police.uk (2015), 179 crimes were reported in this neighbourhood in January. Issues of major priority to this community in February 2015 included environmental damage through littering, parking issues and skateboarding. Environmental pro-activity is evident on the Cardiff’s local authority website from which people can enquire on garbage collection and recycling of waste, leisure and recreation areas, parking areas and council tax.

Green recycling bags and food caddies have a specific collection time of every one week while black bins for general waste and garden clippings for compostable waste are collected every two weeks. Regardless of housing or location, the Cardiff local authority has worked on how waste is categorized and how access to waste bags and caddies. Waste and recycling bags can be ordered online and issues regarding collection or access to these services can also be reported online or by calling the local authorities.

Information on financial support sought after by students and schools present in Cardiff is also available on the local government website. Early childcare, services for young people and adult learning courses are accessible via the same online medium. Cardiff’s local authorities have made major steps in ensuring information about council tax, meetings, strategies, policies, plans and visitors’ enquiries are addressed on the same platform. Social responsibility through online media has set Cardiff ahead in terms of interaction with its residents and future investors (Cardiff.gov.uk, 2015) Research on the links between violence and victimization were found to be part of a vicious cycle in which perpetrators of violence were found to be previously victims of violence.

Socio-economic characteristics of an area have been strongly linked to behavioural characteristics within the population of that area.

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