Arlington Park - Weebly



Arlington Park Fall 2014Community Health AssessmentAnalysis completed by:Heather Cover, Gabrielle Evans, Brandon Mendenhall, Iza Reyes,Laura Rolke, and Chelsea Whitfield. UNC-Greensboro, Community Health Education Graduate ProgramHEA-603 – Professor Regina Pulliam Arlington Park 16116302210435000436499000064389000396557564389000193040212915500396557543649900021736054635500048240952613025002158048474567300Table of contents TOC \o "1-1" \h \z \u Introduction4Neighborhood5Map and Geographic Boundaries6Windshield Tour (Group)8 Heather’s Windshield Tour20 Gabrielle’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526966 \h 23 Brandon’s Windshield Tour25 Iza’s Windshield Tour28 Laura’s Windshield Tour31 Chelsea’s Windshield Tour34Sociodemographic Profile 36 Age38 Race & Ethnicity 39 Education40 Income & Poverty Status42 HomeOwnership44 Employment & Disability46Ethnographic Interviews48 Methods50 Interview questions PAGEREF _Toc324526966 \h 2 pregnancy PAGEREF _Toc324526967 \h 2 Neighborhood Improvements PAGEREF _Toc324526961 \h 1Health Profile PAGEREF _Toc324526964 \h 2 Mortality Rate PAGEREF _Toc324526965 \h 2 Access to healthcare PAGEREF _Toc324526966 \h 2 tobacco use PAGEREF _Toc324526967 \h 2 Environmental quality PAGEREF _Toc324526961 \h 1 Birth statistics PAGEREF _Toc324526962 \h 2 social determinants of health PAGEREF _Toc324526963 \h 2References PAGEREF _Toc324526964 \h 2Appendix PAGEREF _Toc324526964 \h 2 Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526964 \h 2 Heather’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526965 \h 2 Gabrielle’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526966 \h 2 Brandon’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526967 \h 2 Iza’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526961 \h 1 Laura’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526962 \h 2 Chelsea’s Windshield Tour PAGEREF _Toc324526963 \h 2 Ethnographic Interview & notes PAGEREF _Toc324526965 \h 2 Socio-demographic profile PAGEREF _Toc324526966 \h 2 Health profile PAGEREF _Toc324526967 \h 2Introduction Community health assessments are reports used to identify factors that affect the health of a population and determine the availability of resources that address these factors (Community Health Assessment [CHA] Guide Book, 2011). ?This community health assessment specifically analyzes the neighborhood of Arlington Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. In North Carolina, a community health assessment (community is defined as county) is completed by the county health department every four years (CHA Guide Book, 2011). This assessment was completed in during the fall semester of 2014 and specifically looks at a small fraction of Guilford County. The goal of community health assessments is to form partnerships, gather health-related data, determine priority health issues, identify resources, and plan appropriate community health programs with the community (CHA Guide Book, 2011). For this assignment, we completed the first four of these through two windshield tours, a socio-demographic profile, ethnographic interviews with community residents and leaders, and a health profile. The final goal, planning health programs with the community, occurs after the first four are complete and goes beyond the scope of this assignment. Primary data collection, or data collected first-hand, is used to find out what the community thinks about their health status, needs, and resources (CHA Guide Book, 2011). It is important that community health assessments represent the voice of the community and provide more specific insight than secondary data. In North Carolina, there are two types of primary data that are required to be collected in community health assessments: an inventory of health resources and community opinion collected through a health opinion survey or small group discussions (CHA Guide Book, 2011). In this report, the inventory of health resources can be found in the windshield tour. Community health opinion was collected in the form of ethnographic interviews (key informant interviews) conducted with residents and community leaders in Arlington Park. Secondary data, or data initially collected by someone else, is used in the form of statistics. North Carolina community health assessments are required to contain discussions of population demographics, socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, health indicators, health care facilities and provides, parks and recreational facilities, and smoke-free facilities (CHA Guide Book, 2011). In this report, the socio-demographic profile addresses the population demographics and socioeconomic factors using U.S. Census data. The health profile contains information about health indicators by using U.S. Census and State Center for Health Statistics data.Neighborhood Arlington Park is a residential development located in Greensboro, North Carolina. ?It is located southeast of downtown Greensboro and is a part of the larger Southside/Asheboro Park neighborhood. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive marks the eastern boundary of the community, Andrew Street marks the northern boundary, Florida Street marks the southern boundary, and Vance, Burtner, and Arlington Streets make up the western boundary. The neighborhood is mostly residential homes, but there are six churches throughout the neighborhood, a Guilford County Child Development Center site directly bordering the northwest corner, and the Gillespie Golf Course to the south. ?The neighborhood is largely residential, consisting of single family homes, a few duplexes, and two apartment complexes. ?Many of the homes date back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The neighborhood was a desirable place to live in the 1920’s and 1930’s, but as desegregation occurred in Greensboro during the mid-1900’s, white residents moved to other parts of town (City of Greensboro: Arlington Park, 2014). ?Many white residents had put a lot of money into the houses in the neighborhood, but most moved out within three years once black residents started moving into the neighborhood. Today, black residents make up over 90% of the neighborhood (U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce, 2010)Today, Arlington Park is one of the City of Greensboro’s redevelopment projects. The Greensboro Housing Development Partnership Inc. (GHDP) and the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association have been working to make improvements throughout the neighborhood (City of Greensboro: Arlington Park, 2014). Part of this involved the creation of ‘The Village at Arlington Park,’ a newer development of homes on the south end of the neighborhood (City of Greensboro: Arlington Park, 2014). There have also been many projects to remove dilapidated housing units, install new sidewalks, and renovate homes (including removing lead paint), and amend neighborhood zoning) (City of Greensboro: Arlington Park, 2014).Map & Geographic Boundaries map & geographic boundaries – Map Legend Condemned Homes401 Andrew Street208 Burtner Street1409 Plymouth StreetViolation of City Ordinances1220 Randolph Avenue1468 Martin Luther King Jr Drive503 Burtner StreetNeighborhood BusinessesQuik Save ??1205 Martin Luther King Jr. DriveWashington Group ?1700 Martin Luther King Jr. DriveO’Neal Steel ?105 West Florida StreetNussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship ??1451 South Elm-Eugene StreetChurchesRock Hill Sovereign Grace Baptist Church ??1216 Bellevue StreetGod’s House of Deliverance 1212 Randolph AvenueGrace & Truth Christian Fellow1237 Randolph AvenueFreewill Pentecostal Church 1606 Martin Luther King Jr DriveSt Matthews United Methodist Church 600 East Florida StreetNew Missionary Zion Baptist Church ??1310 Martin Luther King Jr DriveWheelchair Accessible Homes609 Glover Street1404 Caldwell Street1410 Caldwell Street1424 Caldwell StreetVacant Lot430 Burtner Street1401 Randolph Avenue1607 Randolph AvenuePublic School/County ServiceGillespie Park School ?1900 Martin Luther King Jr. DriveGuilford Child Development Center ?1200 Arlington StreetGTCC Small Business Center ????????1451 South Elm-Eugene Street Suite 1201Public ParkArlington Park Basketball Courts ?1400 Bellevue StreetArlington Park Playground 1201 West Bellevue StreetGillespie Park and Golf Course ?306 East Florida StreetPower Station305 East Florida StreetPublic Safety Concern1699 Randolph AvenueWindshield Tour At a Glance The neighborhood of Arlington Park is located in south Greensboro in the 27406 zip code and Census Tract 113.Arlington Park has made many improvements as far as street lighting and sidewalks, but this depends on the street; more needs to be done to improve accessibility and clear pathways.There is one designated park in the community, as well as a basketball court and a city-owned golf course that borders the neighborhoods.Only one of the schools (Gillespie Park Elementary) the neighborhood is districted for is within walking distance (less than a mile outside of the neighborhood).There are five churches located within the community and 1 directly bordering the southeast corner.All general practitioner and dental offices are located at least a mile away from the neighborhood.Arlington Park is located in a ‘food desert;’ there are no farmers markets close to the neighborhood and the closest grocery stores that carry fresh fruits and vegetables are at least a mile outside the neighborhood.There are three business enterprises directly bordering the western boundary of the neighborhood. One of these is an entrepreneurship center that hosts new business ventures.Safety is a concern in the neighborhood; there are condemned homes and vacated lots that have been closed off. There are also issues with not enough sidewalks aligning some streets and cars speeding down the neighborhood streets. Windshield and Walking Tour Team Members: Heather Cover, Gabrielle Evans, Brandon Mendenhall, Iza Reyes, Laura Rolke, and Chelsea Whitfield Observations Dates: Wednesday September 10, 2014 at 6:30-8:30 pmHeather Cover, Gabrielle Evans, Brandon Mendenhall, Iza Reyes, Laura Rolke, and Chelsea Whitfield drove around the neighborhood to identify the boundaries and visit all the streets. ?A basic inventory of resources and landmarks was created. Sunday September 14, 2014 at 1:30-3:30 pm Heather Cover, Gabrielle Evans, Brandon Mendenhall, Iza Reyes, Laura Rolke, and Chelsea Whitfield walked around neighborhood as a group to get a more in-depth view of the neighborhood’s streets, sidewalks, homes, and resources. The inventory was updated with more precise information. General Neighborhood InformationName of Neighborhood: Arlington Park, Greensboro NCCongressional District: NC-12Location (zip code): 27406Census Tract: 113 Boundaries:North: Andrew StreetSouth: Florida StreetEast: Martin Luther King Jr. DriveWest: Vance Street and North West Arlington StreetNeighborhood design for physical activitySidewalks: There are sidewalks are throughout most of the community. The quality of the sidewalks vary with their location in the neighborhood. Some of least maintained sidewalks are along Harrington, North Vance, Arlington, Burtner and Andrew Streets. ?These sidewalks are more likely to be obstructed by timber, overgrown trees, trash, and debris. They are also more likely to have cracks or grass and weeds growing through the concrete. Some of the sidewalks, like one on Randolph Street, have electrical poles in the middle of the sidewalk that make walking difficult. The south and some areas of the east side of the neighborhood have well maintained sidewalks. On South Vance Street there are sidewalks on each side of the road and wheel chair accessible ramps at the sidewalk end. This continued a third of the way up Caldwell Street until Mary Black Street. ?There is also a planter strip separating the sidewalk from the street on South Vance, which does not exist anywhere else in the neighborhood.Martin Luther King Jr. Drive had mostly a brick side walk on one side and a regular concrete sidewalk on the other. There appeared to be ongoing construction with water pipes that lay beside the sidewalk in the road. On Martin Luther King Drive, just past New Zion Baptist Church, there was a wire from a power line was hanging down that obstructed the sidewalk. ???A few of the side streets, such as Ward Street, do not have sidewalks. ?The streets without sidewalks are typically smaller, connection streets between the streets with more traffic in the neighborhood. All in all, with the exception of the sidewalks that lined the perimeter of the neighborhood and the sidewalks on the southern end of Vance and Caldwell Streets, the sidewalks are poorly maintained, obstructed, uneven and have large or non-existent curb cuts from the sidewalk to the street. Bike trails or routes: ?Biking trails are absent from Arlington Park. Two individuals were observed riding bikes in the neighborhood and both were riding in the roadway. ADA Accessibility: ?Walking and biking routes are accessible to people with disabilities 1and in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements:Most sidewalks stopped without easy access for bikes or disabled individuals, and roads were hilly and narrow in the Northwest area. The sidewalk routes have many large dips and inclines. ?Since most of the sidewalks are narrow, there are many dips and inclines created to cut through driveways that have been lowered for road access. ?Most of the sidewalks are made with rocky concrete and many of them are poorly maintained, so there are a number of breaks between cracks in the sidewalk. ?A few of the sidewalk transitions, such as the ramp at the corner of Caldwell and Vance Street, has a smooth transition from sidewalk to street. ?Most of the curb cuts, such as the curb cut at the crosswalk between Randolph and Burtner Street, have a large dip from the sidewalk to the street. ?The sidewalk at this crosswalk also lacks a curb extension to allow pedestrians to see around parked cars when crossing the street. The sidewalk construction and maintenance make it difficult for people with disabilities to use them. Most of the neighborhood have mailboxes at the door and not on the street. ?There are a few sidewalks with low hanging branches from trees that make navigating through them impossible. ?Randolph street has a few power poles in the sidewalk with no room in the sidewalk to navigate a wheelchair around them. ?Some of the residents placed their trash and recycling receptacles directly on the sidewalk, which makes the sidewalks difficult to use. Neighborhood Parks There are several public park areas within walking and biking distance of the neighborhood. There are no sidewalks or green-ways connecting the park areas to each other. Arlington ParkArlington Park is located at the northern edge of the neighborhood between a split in Bellevue Street and across Burtner Street. ?The park has benches, a shelter, a playground, a swing set, a basketball court, and small grass areas, along with a working water fountain and a locked water pump. Arlington Park has a plastic playground within a mulched area that is bordered by plastic beams. ?The play structure has cat walks, slides, and a climbing wall. Beside the play structure is a metal swing set that has three swings high off the ground and two baby seats. ?The swing set shows signs of age, with rust and chipped paint.There are no parking lots bordering the area. There is a shelter at Arlington Park along with a water fountain and water pump. ?Accessing the park from the south requires crossing a wide street with no crosswalks. ?The park is in a valley between a split in Bellevue street with large grassy inclines on all sides. ?These make wheelchair access nearly impossible. ?There is a curb cut that appears to allow wheelchair access to the park, but the curb cut goes directly to a steep, grassy decline. Local Hispanic residents consisting of two adults and two children were observed utilizing the Arlington Park play structure on Wednesday, September 10th. Basketball Court & Open AreaThere is a basketball court and open field are located on Bellevue Street before you get to Burtner Street coming from the south. There two basketball goals on one court with a big open area of grass to the side (about half an acre). ?Children were observed playing here, both on Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon. On Wednesday evening, a large group of children were playing football in the open area. There is nothing designating the area as a field for a certain sport though, as it is just an open area. Gillespie Golf Course Gillespie Golf Course is located on Florida Street on the border of the community. It is owned and operated by the City of Greensboro and features 18-holes of golf for any level of golfer. The hours for the golf course appear to only be in the spring and summer months of the year. Neighborhood offers many destinations (e.g., parks, playgrounds, stores, community centers, and libraries) within easy walking distance (1/2 mile) from homes or public transportation stops.Arlington Park and playground is located in the northern part of the community and would be in walking distance for most in the community. However, the far south east side might have to walk more than a half mile to reach the park. There is a Quik Save/Exxon gas station and convenience store located in the Northeast corner of the community on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It has a little bit of everything from snacks, drinks, canned goods and produce to flip flops, purses, clothes, jewelry, light bulbs and hardware. This store is in easy walking distance from the Greensboro transit authority bus stop at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Florida Street. However, for residents in the southwest side of the neighborhood the journey to the store may take a little more than half a mile. Other Neighborhood Assets8. ?Schools:Guilford Child Development ?1200 Arlington St Greensboro, NC 2740Gillespie Park Elementary School ?1900 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Greensboro NC, 27406 (approx .7 miles away)Guilford Technical Community College Small Business Center ??1451 S. Elm-Eugene Street Greensboro NC, 27406 (approx .8 miles away)Kiser Middle School 716 Benjamin Pkwy Greensboro, NC 27408 (approx 4.5 miles away) ?Grimsley High School 801 Westover Terrace Greensboro, NC 27408 (approx 4.1 miles away) The only educational facility directly bordering the neighborhood is the Guilford Child Development Center. The Guilford Child Development Center has a mission ‘to help young children and families reach their full potential’ through five programs: Head Start/Early Head Start, Regional Child Care Resources and Referral, Catering for Kids, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Learning Together Family Literacy.There are no Guilford County Public Schools or private schools directly in the community. Students in the neighborhood attend Gillespie Park Elementary school, which is located less than a mile away. ?The neighborhood is districted to Kiser Middle and Grimsley High school despite there being other middle schools (Bennett, Lincoln, and Jackson) and high school (Dudley) that are closer.Gillespie Park Elementary and the Guilford Child Development Center are the only schools for youth located within walking distance (less than a mile). However, accessibility to these resources depend on where the residents live in the neighborhood because it may be more than a mile. There are crosswalks around the Guilford Child Development Center to make walking there safer. Gillespie Park Elementary is farther away and the best route via sidewalks are unknown at this time; there are no Safe Routes to School projects in the area to ensure a safe passage to school. We did not observe any school buses or children walking home from school during the two observation times that our group went out in the community because the times were not near typical school times. ?9. Churches, clubs, and membership organizations:Freewill Pentecostal Church(336) 273-21591606 Martin Luther King Jr Dr Greensboro, NC 27406God’s House of Deliverance ??(336) 373-39971212 Randolph AveGreensboro, NC 27406Grace & Truth Christian Fellow1237 Randolph Ave Greensboro, NC 27406New Missionary Zion Baptist Church ???(336) 272-84411310 Martin Luther King Jr Dr Greensboro, NC 27406Rock Hill Sovereign Grace Baptist Church ???(336) 274-45561216 Bellevue StreetGreensboro NC 27406St Matthews United Methodist Church(336) 272-4505600 E Florida StGreensboro, NC 27406There are five churches located within the geographic confines of the neighborhood and one directly bordering the neighborhood (St Matthews United Methodist Church). ?Outside of the churches in the neighborhood, there do not appear to be any other clubs or membership organizations. 10. ?Places where people like to linger or hang out:Black residents on Wednesday evening were hanging out on front porches with friends or family members in chairs, on the steps or standing up. Black children were playing at the basketball courts and open grassy area beside the courts. A Hispanic family were utilizing the Arlington Park with the children playing on the play ground and the adults sitting on the nearby benches. We noticed one white woman sitting in a chair in a front yard next to a black man. ?Chelsea spoke to a black man named Sammy Davis who was in a chair seated in front of a house on Randolph Avenue and he said that most people hang out in their yards or walk the neighborhood.On Sunday some black churchgoers were in the God’s House of Deliverance Church parking lot lingering around their vehicles talking. A black man and woman were sitting on a bench on Martin Luther King Drive listening to music on a hand held radio. A group of black women were sitting in chairs in front of their home on Randolph street talking and braiding each others hair. There were not as many individuals out during this time of day compared to earlier in the week. ??11. ?Community organizations, associations, and health and social service agencies: The Guilford Child Development Center located at 1200 Arlington Street in the northwest corner of the community at the intersection of Arlington and Andrew Street may be the closest facility to a community center in the neighborhood. There was a big blue trimmed white sign with black letters beside the front entrance that stated the programs that are offered at the center along with their hours of operation which are Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm. The center provides programs such as head start (mentioned previously), resources and referrals to child care, a catering for kids program, a nurse-family partnership program, and learning together family literacy programs.12. ?Health care providers: Triad Adult & Pediatric Medicine355-99201002 S Eugene Street Greensboro, NC 27406 (approx 1 mile away)Kindred Hospital Greensboro 271- 28002401 S Side Boulevard ?Greensboro, NC 27406 (approx 1.4 miles away)Sharen Long-Strokes DDS 290-6098 106 Murrow Boulevard, #100 Greensboro, NC 27406 (approx 1.7 miles away) ?The closest health care providers are at least a mile outside of the neighborhood. Triad Adult & Pediatric Medicine has general practitioners for general health and wellness. They accept private insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. ?Kindred Hospital Greensboro is a transitional care and inpatient rehabilitation hospital. The nearest dentist is located 1.7 miles from the neighborhood. 13.Block by block description of types of housing:Andrew Street Single family, one story homes mostly and one abandoned home boarded up with condemn signs. Other homes had faded, chipped or loss of paint on exterior potentially due to negligence and old age. ???Arlington Street Single family, one story homes with small yards. One home, closest to the corner of Arlington and Andrew, is for rent and their mailbox laying down on the pole in their grassy front yard.Bellevue Street Bellevue Street is made up mostly of single family, one story homes with small yards. Most had dirt, mold and/or mildew on the exterior of siding. A few of the homes between Lucerne and Burtner Street on Bellevue had bars on their doors. One home closest to the basketball courts had a broken front glass window. Burtner Street Single family, one story homes with small yards. Most had dirt, mold and/or mildew on the exterior of siding. Some homes had no trespassing signs in yard.Caldwell Street A lot of single family, one story homes with no trespassing signs in front yard at least in northern two thirds of street. In this same section, there is a house for rent. ?Most houses appear to be in need of repairs (molding shingles, buckling vinyl, unkempt lawn, etc) and one was condemned house with boards on door and window. One home located at 1307 had a front porch with a shooting range target hung above their house number. Homes on this street are of different colors. Southern portion of Caldwell Street past Mary E. Black Street were newer homes, some two story and one was a duplex. Most of these homes in this location had all there shutters, had all the paint on the houses, and appeared to be better kept, bigger yards. ??Dale Street Dale Street is a small street that connects Martin Luther King Jr Drive and Randolph Avenue. There are a couple of small one-story single family homes facing the road. Florida StreetThe only housing in the neighborhood on Florida Street was brick group housing. These units had some windows without window screens and no grass in front with mostly graveled parking. There was also a large power transfer/distribution station along the road. Glover Street Glover Street features a mix of brick block group housing and single family homes. Most of the houses are single-story brick homes. 609 Glover Street has wheelchair access ramp to the front door. Harrington Street Harrington Street is a small private road that borders New Zion Baptist Church. There are only 2 housing lots facing the road, as it mostly serves for access into the church parking lot. Lucerne Street West Lucerne has single family, one story homes with a few for rent. One home had torn up interior blinds seen through glass window.East Lucerne Street has single family, one story homes.Mary E Black Street Houses on Mary E Black Street have attached garages and most are two story. ?These houses appear to much nicer and bigger than majority of the other homes in the neighborhood. ?There are larger yards that are well kept and trimmed and little to no debris in the street.Martin Luther King Jr Drive Martin Luther King Jr Drive features a mix of larger single family homes and lots with smaller ones more typical of the neighborhood. Several of the larger homes had a Victorian style with two stories. Some yards were landscaped, others in varying levels of disrepair. Only one house on the street had a city notice for upkeep (1468). Many of the homes had no trespassing signs.Plymouth Street Plymouth features mostly one-story single family homes. 1409 Plymouth Street is condemned and missing part of its roof; the windows are boarded and it was clear the glass in the upstairs windows were broken at one point. Another home on the street is currently listed for rent. Randolph Avenue Randolph Avenue is mostly made of single family, one story homes on small lots. On the north end of the street is Randolph Village, which are one-story brick housing complexes. The street was well lit at night, with most of the streetlights working. There were several houses that had handicap access and ramps leading up to the homes. Towards the south end there were several empty lots owned by the City of Greensboro that appeared to have once been single family homes that were removed. At the south end of the street there is a large power transfer/distribution station. Vance Street South Vance Street has at least one duplex house, but other houses on the street are two stories and a few with attached garages. As you travel north on Vance Street the houses change to single family, one story homes with no new renovation and varying degrees of exterior neglect. ?Ward Street Ward Street features older one-story single family homes on the west side and four lots with newer construction homes on the east side. The newer homes are distinguishable because of the clean, simplistic design, new vinyl, and new sidewalks/driveways that lead up to the homes. 14.Food stores:Quik Save Convenience store 1205 Martin Luther King Jr Dr Greensboro, NC 27406 ?Fairway One Stop 1301 S Eugene St Greensboro, NC 27406 (approx .9 miles away) ?Food Lion 120 W Meadowview Rd Greensboro, NC 27406 (approx 1.5 miles away) ?Family Dollar 122 W Meadowview RdGreensboro, NC 27406 (approx 1.6 miles away) Walmart SuperCenter 121 W Elmsley StGreensboro, NC 27406(approx 4.3 miles away) The closest store that sells food is the Quik Save convenience store that is combined with the Exxon gas station. It offered onions and potatoes near the counter; however most of the other food was mostly prepackaged carbohydrates. Not only did the store offer prepackaged foods, but there was also a wide variety of artificial nails, hair products, cleaning supplies, toys, shoes, clothing, purses, book bags and lottery tickets.15.Farmers’ markets: There are no farmers’ markets within the neighborhood. ?There was a small garden located in a resident’s yard, but it did not appear to be a public/community garden. The closest farmers market appears to be the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, which is open year round on Saturday’s 7am-12pm and is approximately 2.2 miles away.mercial enterprises: O’Neal Steel(336) 691-1106105 W Florida StreetGreensboro, NC 27406Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship (336) 379-50011451 S Elm-Eugene StGreensboro, NC 27406VF Jeanswear (336) 332-35771421 S Elm-Eugene StGreensboro, NCThere are no commercial enterprises within the confines of the neighborhood. However, there are three commercial businesses directly bordering the neighborhood, just west of the train tracks on the western border. O’Neal Steel is a large warehouse-like building that sells carbon and alloy steel, aluminum and stainless steel products. Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship is a non-profit organization that works to advise and house start-up and early-stage growth entrepreneurs. The Center offers a modestly priced office and light manufacturing space along with shared support services such as business counseling and general office management for entrepreneurs. VF Jeanswear has a secondary office in Greensboro for their Jeanswear division. The operation is housed in a large brick warehouse with a fence. Safety18. ?Sidewalks, parks, and parking areas are well lit to enhance safety at night.Some areas of the west side of the community had a few street lights that came on while other areas were completely in the dark. On the east side of the neighborhood there were some light poles beside the streets that helped with visibility at night. Caldwell Street had about fifty percent of the street lights on and working; this could be a safety concern. However, Randolph, the other main north-south road through the neighborhood had nearly every light on and functioning. The park did not have lights because the signs clearly states that the park closes at dusk.19. ?Motor vehicle drivers obey the speed limit and yield for pedestrians to cross the street.The speed limit in the community was posted as 25 mph. Most drivers that we observed were exceeding that speed limit and not paying attention to pedestrians or cars that were parked on side of the streets. 20. ?Law enforcement officers at local parks.There were no law enforcement officers at the local park on either day of our observations in the Arlington Park community. On Wednesday the only law enforcement that was visible was an older black man wearing a black suit with a gold badge that looked similar to a security officer outfit at the front door of the Guilford County Child Development Center on the corner of Andrew and Arlington Street. The black officer was leaning against the stair railing at the entrance to the building watching cars and pedestrians go by. On Sunday, two police cars drove down Martin Luther King Jr Drive at separate times; there was some police presence, but it did not appear police came into the neighborhood. 21. ?People who walk and bike during the day can feel free from traffic hazards or threats to personal safety.The community did have stop signs at the end of every street and a multitude of various age walkers and bike riders all throughout the area. Although there were sidewalks on some streets and other streets did not have any, it appeared that no matter the location in the neighborhood there were individuals riding their bikes on the street but most walkers were on the sidewalk. Chelsea and Gabby spoke to two different black individuals (Sammy Davis who was in a chair seated in front of a house on Randolph Avenue and Mike who had just started walking down Bellevue Street from Andrew Street) to gain more insight about the safety of the area. Both men explained that you have to look out for yourself and your own safety because people in the community do not look out for you. Mike was walking down Bellevue Street when we asked him how he felt about his safety as a pedestrian. He stated that most drivers are texting on their phones and not paying attention to who might be walking or riding their bikes on the streets. ???22.Locations of abandoned or vacant buildings, empty lots, etc. ?Do these pose a threat to safety? Safety in the neighborhood varies by the lots. Some trash, discarded materials, and overgrown lawns were apparent in some empty lots, while others were clear from any items in the yard and the lawn was maintained. None of the condemned homes looked as though they were broken into or appeared to have squatters, which could post a threat to safety. The important thing is that the houses that were vacant seemed to be the condemned ones, which means they were boarded up and added to the cities list of homes to demolish. Andrew Street: 401 Andrew Street is condemned house; there are boards on the front door and first story windows. The upper left window has been broken. Arlington Street: Vacant house for rent across from Guilford Child Development Center and close to corner of Andrew Street (1205 Arlington Street).Vance Street: All homes seemingly occupied Bellevue Street: Across from the park appears to be a white abandoned house.Caldwell Street: Condemned homeHouse for rentAbandoned homeBurtner Street: Abandoned and condemned house with notice at 208 Burtner Street. The yellow house has boards on all of its first story windows and doors with a notice posted that it was a vacant structure that was closed October 2013.Corner of Burtner and Caldwell is a vacant lot with a no trespassing sign located in the yard stating it has been placed there from the City of Greensboro Randolph Avenue:Corner of Randolph and Harrington Street is an abandoned lot with a brick chimney still standing. Another abandoned lot is located on this street near Lucerne Street with no trespassing signs located in the yard stating it has been placed there from the City of Greensboro. 1220 Randolph Street home is empty and appears to be in the process of renovation. Previous pictures of the home show it was boarded, but notice posted did not say it was condemned. 1699 Randolph Street had personal belonging covering the front porch- appeared to be a safety hazard. Glover Street:Some vacancies noted at the block housing unit, but all structures occupied.Ward Street:All homes and lots occupied Plymouth Street:Corner of this street and Harrington Street is a condemned homeHarrington Street:The two lots on this street were occupied Dale Street: The house on the corner of Randolph & Dale was previously mentioned and that is the only unoccupied home. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive:1468 Martin Luther King Jr Drive had a notice on it and looked to be in disrepair, however it was unclear if anyone was living in the house. Florida Street:Some vacancies in the multi-family brick housing units on Florida Street, but all the buildings appeared to have occupants. 23.Geographic barriers, natural and man-made, such as major thoroughfares, waterways, etc.West of Vance Street is the Southern Railroad tracks. Although this man-made barrier is not located directly in the community it can be heard in the area when the train passes by. There is also a small stream that runs just east of the railroad tracks. Another man-made barrier is that of a fenced in power transfer/distribution station at the corner of Randolph and Florida Street. This power source takes up the entire corner lot and is surrounded by trees on two sides.Heather’s Windshield Tour (Unrevised) The layout of Arlington Park mostly consists of residential homes. In the northwestern side of the community one story single family white painted homes dominate the area with this type of home also sprinkled throughout the rest of the neighborhood. Most of these homes had faded, chipped or loss of paint on their wooden exterior and others had mold and vines growing up the side which looks as though it may be potentially due to negligence and/or old age. Three homes had a wheelchair accessible ramp, while other homes had a metal or wooden rail leading up the concrete stairs. A small selection of the homes had a brick exterior with the sporadic broken or missing shutters. The majority of homes had brick or concrete underpinning and foundations. The yards are small, a few with overgrown grass and bushes with the occasional fence surrounding the lawns. Two story homes with garages can be found in the southern part of Arlington Park along with two duplex houses. These homes consist of vinyl siding, painted front porch wooden rails, brick underpinning, and manicured landscapes with a few homes having hanging plants on their front porch. Security protection signs can be found in the front yards of these colorful exterior siding homes with concrete walkways that go directly from the driveway to the house. Randolph Village apartments, a u-shaped one story brick building, are located on N. Randolph Street. Florida and Glover Street had four brick u-shaped government housing units. Random homes on some of the streets were condemned with plywood boards on the windows and doors. Most had broken glass in the windows with overgrown lawns. Industrial and commercial areas were absent from the neighborhood. The southwestern part of town appears to be newer or recently renovated, maybe a couple years old, where the rest gave the impression that they may be sixty plus years due to the lack of updated features of the homes. Spider webbed cracked pavement across the road was consistent throughout and a small number of streets had new asphalt in specific spots. A sidewalk could be found on at least one side of the road in the southern half of the community, while on the lower end of Vance Street sidewalks were present on both sides. There are no sidewalks the rest of the way up Vance, on Bellevue, Arlington, Ward or W. Lucerne Street. Debris on sidewalks such as cut wood logs and twigs, broken concrete and glass overgrown tree branches and trash and overgrown grass between the cracks of the sidewalk made it hard to utilize. On Martin Luther King Jr Drive the sidewalks were wider with red brick laid on the outer edge near the road, concrete in the middle and street lights along the inner edge every few feet. Traffic in the neighborhood was light but from observing the various patterns on different streets, it looked as though no one was concerned about the posted 25 mph speed limit. At the end of Martin Luther King Jr Drive closest to Florida Street was the only visible Greensboro Transit Authority sign for bus transportation.Religious institutions such as Rock Hill Sovereign Grace Baptist Church a brick white structure located at 1216 Bellevue Street, God’s House of Deliverance an older brick building found at 1212 Randolph Ave, Grace & Truth Christian Fellow a brick building with stained glass windows at 1237 Randolph Ave, Freewill Pentecostal Church a brick building with stone work directly above white double doors in the front at 1606 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, St Matthews United Methodist Church at 600 E Florida St is a light brick exterior with red double doors at the front with a well maintained landscape, and New Missionary Zion Baptist Church a three story brick building with steps leading up to three archways at the entrance of 1310 Martin Luther King Jr Drive are all scattered among residential homes. The Quik Save/Exxon gas station business is located at 1205 Martin Luther King Jr Drive. It has a red roof top with gray siding and is in the corner of the community away from most of the residential homes. Arlington Park, found in between the Bellevue split, is located near residential homes in the northwestern part of the community. There is a playground that includes a slide, swing and climbing areas for children along with a water fountain and shelter. The concrete basketball court with two hoops is in the same vicinity located on S. Bellevue Street before the intersection of Burtner Street. Gillespie Golf Course is located on Florida Street on the border of the community away from most of the residential homes.???????During my observations I felt this is a rundown area of Greensboro. Houses are not maintained by regular upkeep such as proper window coverings (glass, shutters or blinds), new paint, lawns cut, or even trash free from the premises. To me it felt like a community that either (a) gave up on caring about the appearance of their homes, (b) never had the desire to do so in the first place, or (c) lacked the resources or finances to enjoy such luxuries as new paint. On Caldwell Street I saw a bullet target hanging on someone’s front porch and it made me want to lock the doors of the vehicle and drive away. However, when we all walked the community everyone was friendly and curious about our presence but not in a manner in which I was worried about my safety. Something can be said about actually going out into a community and seeing with your own eyes what it is like, nothing that the yellow pages or a database can provide. You can feel the tone of the neighborhood when you are there compared to looking on the internet through statistics. In a way I still feel the same way about the neighborhood as my earlier impressions of the tour but I know it’s not fair of me to make assumptions about a community that I have only been to twice. Homes in the area were not homogeneous. There was a contrast between the northern part of the community having not experienced any renovations and the northern part having the access to a more luxurious way of life with less litter on the sidewalks, bigger homes with fresh paint or vinyl siding and the affordability to maintain their yard. Most of the residents that I observed in the neighborhood were black. I only noticed two older women in the area that were white but did happen to notice black girls no older than maybe 15 walking a dog, playing basketball and talking to boys that were about the same age in the street. The boys in the area were also playing basketball and talking to the girls. Some of the adult black men were riding their bikes, walking the streets or sitting on front porches watching cars go by. I noticed on the first day we went out in the afternoon there were a lot more interaction with individuals outside in their neighbors front yards talking to one another and in groups on front porches.Gabrielle’s Windshield Tour (Revised) The neighborhood that my group members and I were assigned was Arlington Park located in congressional district “NC-12” in Greensboro, North Carolina. The boundaries for this neighborhood are as follows – North: Andrew Street, South: Florida Street, East: Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and West: Vance Street and North West Arlington Street. My group members and I observed our neighborhood on two different occasions – Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 with a driving tour and on Sunday, September 14th, 2014 for a walking tour. In the beginning stages of our windshield tour, I was under the impression that the neighborhood that we were assigned was an “average” neighborhood for Greensboro, especially since it was surrounding The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I was expecting to see a low-income community with a few houses for rent and maybe one park. Most of the homes in Arlington park are very old and need renovations and/or multiple repairs due to negligence – overgrown grass, mold on the exterior of the homes, and missing/damaged vinyl siding. In addition to there being neglected homes, there were also homes that had been condemned by the City of Greensboro, ones that had been foreclosed, and others with ordinances for violation of upkeep. There were also a few homes in the neighborhood that were well-maintained with trimmed yards, and a pleasing appearance. The streets of Arlington Park vary from street to street in a sense that only some had sidewalks or street lights. The streets that did have sidewalks were overgrown with grass and/or came to an abrupt stop and while some streets had street lights, not all of the street lights worked and quite a few had loose wires hanging from them. Once we started the first tour, I was a little concerned because everyone who drove through the neighborhood was exceeding the speed limit and there were numerous times that I thought my car would get hit on the side of the road. After being in the neighborhood for a while, my group members and I got adjusted and were even comfortable with having conversations with community members. From speaking with these community members, we learned many things that we would not have learned by just looking through a database or the yellow pages. We learned that there isn’t much within the neighborhood for community members to do so they have to go on the outskirts (South Elm-Eugene Road) for employment, educational classes, grocery shopping, etc. We also learned that it is not as safe as it should be for pedestrians and cyclists because drivers like to speed through the neighborhood.Brandon’s Windshield Tour (Revised) Arlington Park is a small neighborhood located just south of downtown Greensboro. Bordered by major streets Martin Luther King Drive to the West and Florida Street to the South, as well as Vance Street to the East and Andrew Street to the North, the neighborhood is laid out in a mostly grid fashion. Two parallel streets, Caldwell and Randolph, cut through the neighborhood entirely from north to south. The neighborhood is majority residential area, mostly consisting of single-family homes, duplexes, and a few apartment rentals. Single-family homes were roughly the same size and age and grouped close together, creating limited yard space. The homes showed signs of age or possibly negligence, with paint faded and chipped away, and mold growing on the exteriors. However, there was a great disparity among homes in the southern tip of the neighborhood. These homes appeared newer and larger than the homes in the rest of the neighborhood and were more spread out with larger yards and home security system warning signs placed in front. These homes were also far off the street unlike the homes in the rest of the neighborhood. Randolph Village Apartment homes were brick buildings arranged in a u-shape and had extensive roofing and window damage, molded exterior and overgrown lawns.Arlington Park is free of many commercial and industrial areas. A large transfer station sits in the south-eastern corner of the neighborhood. O’Neal Manufacturing and Carolina Steel are a few of the industrial sites that sit just outside the neighborhood to the southwestern corner. The only real commercial unit in the neighborhood is a Citgo gas station with a “Quik Save” convenience store joined to it. The convenience store was the closest food store to the neighborhood and consisted mostly of drinks, pre-packaged snack foods, canned foods and soups, and a few potatoes and onions. Apart from food, the store also had toys, toiletries and some clothing.A network of sidewalks ran through the neighborhood and were mostly on larger, more traveled streets such as Caldwell and Randolph. A few of the side streets, such as Lucerne and Glover Street had either one sidewalk or no sidewalk at all and also had less pedestrian traffic. The sidewalks were generally in poor condition with cracks and broken spots, a sharp curb at the Caldwell/Burtner Street intersection, obstructed by tree limbs or garbage on Randolph Street, and were disappearing under erosion. The exception to the norm was the southern area with newer homes. These sidewalks were not cracked and had a small planter strip separating the sidewalk from the road. The streets were also in poor condition with paint fading or nonexistent and cracks and potholes. The traffic on the streets and sidewalks were not heavy.The resources in Arlington Park were mostly churches. The neighborhood had six churches located within the bounds of the neighborhood, and one sitting just out of bounds. All of the churches appeared aged from the outside, with faded paint, cracked bricks, and signs with decaying wood. New Zion Missionary Baptist was by far the largest church in the neighborhood on MLK Drive, with the rest of the churches only slightly larger than most homes. Guilford Child Development Center, located in the northwest corner on Arlington Street, was a resource for not only Arlington Park, but much of Guilford County as well. According to the sign outside the door, the Center has a head start preschool program, a child nutrition program, childcare counseling and advice, and tutoring for English and GED. A small park sat in the northern part of the neighborhood. Also called Arlington Park, the area was a mostly grass area with a picnic shelter, park benches, a play structure and swing set and a two goal basketball court. The park was a popular spot for children and teenagers on both observation days.As I walked through the neighborhood, I was struck by a number of observations I would have been unable to make by simply looking up the neighborhood online or in a phone book. Unfortunately, it is impossible to look at any neighborhood objectively, as I will always look at an area through the lens of my own upbringing. For instance, one of the greatest resources the neighborhood seemed to have, the GCD, had a large steel fence surrounding the majority of the building, with a heavy locked gate and a barbed-wire fenced parking lot. The whole area gave off an imposing and unwelcoming appearance to me. I am not used to seeing such heavy security, except around the prison. Some of the other resources, such as the churches, appeared underutilized, especially for an early Sunday afternoon when I observed. I am used to seeing church parking lots full well into Sunday afternoon. After doing a little online research, I was expecting the size and quality of homes in the area, as well as the condition of the sidewalk and streets, because the demographics were similar to the Atlanta neighborhood my brother has lived in for 6 years. However, I was not expecting the complete shift in appearance from simply crossing Mary E. Black Street in the southern part of the neighborhood. The two areas were so starkly different, the sight of them in the same neighborhood was astonishing. I fear this is a gentrification project that could drive out poorer residents, if property values and rent rises. As I walked through the neighborhood, I came across many friendly people walking down the streets, sitting in their yard or porch, or at the park. Many residents were curious about what we were doing in the neighborhood, but were never combative or confrontational about our presence. However, people in power likely overlook Arlington Park. The condition of the streets, sidewalks and homes made me think that this community likely doesn’t get a lot of attention in governmental decisions. Other than the small pocket in the southern tip of the neighborhood, the area seems mostly homogenous with minority families living in single-family homes. Arlington Park to me looks like a neighborhood with many areas in need of physical improvement and a bigger presence in the community from its resources. Iza’s Windshield Tour (Unrevised) For our windshield tour, we surveyed the redevelopment area of Arlington Park. While alternate sources defined the neighborhood of Arlington Park as a larger area that includes several blocks north of Andrews street, we chose the redevelopment area because it was the area defined by the city of Greensboro. To be perfectly honest, I was rather relieved to cover only the redevelopment area. When driving to our neighborhood, it seemed like there were more condemned houses north of Andrews Street, making the area feel more run down and less safe. The area defined by Andrews St., Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., E. Florida St., and Vance St. felt more well-defined in as much as the nebulous borders of a neighborhood can be set. This area was comprised of residential homes with a park on the north end of Bellevue Street. There appeared to be a gradient in the condition and age of homes starting with the southernmost homes on Caldwell St. and Vance St. It was not lost on me that these homes were within walking distance of the Gillespie Golf Course, a sport noted for its upper-class associations. These recently built homes continued until Bellevue Ave, where the construction of homes returned to their Cape Cod circa 1950s structures. Each of the new homes, which appeared constructed within the last 10-15 years, had an alarm system sign posted visibly on the front of each house. These signs and the conditions of the homes faded the further north one went in the neighborhood. The condition of the houses, I felt, told a greater story of the income disparities within the neighborhood. One house might have the paint peeling off of it, so badly was it in need of maintenance, while another house might have beautifully landscaped roses bordering its well-maintained lawn. Despite these disparities, I felt that the residents felt fairly safe in their neighborhood, because quite a few families spent a pleasant evening after work out on their porches. When we drove through the neighborhood for our first visit, it seemed like every third or fourth house had a family sitting out on the front porch. Actually, the children were a bit of a concern to me as I was driving. In the interior of the neighborhood, there are not sidewalks on every street, so children and adults regularly walked in the streets with vehicle traffic. Only the outside streets like MLK Jr Dr. had regular sidewalks. I was worried that some child might chase their basketball or football out in front of my car. I did not feel like I was in the majority of cars worried about pedestrian safety, because I would regularly turn down a street to let a faster car go past me. When our group went out to walk the neighborhood, we followed the example set by the residents and walked in the streets. The sidewalks were not in good repair, obscured by large items such as large trash items awaiting pickup. In other places, they were overgrown and not level. This did not feel like the neighborhood was very wheelchair accessible, even though there were at least 5 homes that had wheelchair ramps. Almost all the resources of the neighborhood were on the outside borders of the neighborhood. All the bus stops are located on MLK JR Dr. All the businesses were located on the outside the neighborhood. All the schools and public services are outside the neighborhood. Only the churches were located within the neighborhood, and these were all located on the north and north-east blocks of the neighborhood. The location of the neighborhood’s resources do not make them easily accessible to those requiring wheelchair access. It felt as though the neighborhood’s resources were only easily accessible by car, which can limit access. The Quick Save looked like the only grocery-like store within walking distance of the neighborhood. I say grocery-like, since the store sold a little bit of everything including potatoes to cigarettes. I was not particularly impressed with their healthy food options, as the only fresh food available was a crate of onions and a crate of potatoes. I noticed residents would be walking around with a white plastic bag, likely from the Quick Save. Our neighborhood appeared predominantly black with some white and Hispanic families. A Hispanic family was the only one we noticed at the playground, whereas there were black families playing on the basketball court both times we went to conduct the windshield tours. They all appeared to observe the dusk curfew set for the parks, although we didn’t stay much past 9 o’clock to find out how law-abiding the residents really were. No one felt really safe staying in the neighborhood after dark. The parking lot by the Guilford Child Development had cleared out by 8:30 pm. I would never have been able to make these observations without visiting the neighborhood. I would have missed out noticing how the amount of trash and empty alcohol containers appeared to increase around empty lots. Because of this, nobody was interested in exploring the undeveloped land. We never observed anyone loitering in empty spaces or abandoned lots, so I can only assume the littering occurs after dark. It was interesting to observe people taking care of their homes to the best of their abilities. One man was replacing the windows in his home when we walked through the neighborhood. Another family was completely engaged in household chores. It looked like the father and oldest son were mowing and maintain the lawn, while four children washed the cars in the driveway. While there were abandoned lots, they had been cleared. There are still several houses that are condemned in the neighborhood, but the signs posted on them had dates in 2014. I get the impression people care about their neighborhood and keeping it maintained. I will be curious to see what their concerns are, and what the limitations are. For example, since I was worried about speeding increasing the risk of pedestrian accidents, I would want speed bumps on Caldwell and Randolph to discourage speeding. This may not be a concern for the residents. I suspect some of the concerns and limitations are financial and bureaucratic, and hopefully our health assessment will inform us about the true concerns of the neighborhood.Laura’s Windshield Tour (Revised)The neighborhood of Arlington Park is just southeast of downtown Greensboro; it’s within walking distance, but completely separate of the downtown atmosphere. ?My first impression of the neighborhood on a Wednesday night was that everything was subdued; there seemed to be a lot going on, but not out on the streets at dusk. ?A lot of residents sit on their front porches in the evenings, engrossed in conversation with their friends, family, and people who walk by. Sunday was even quieter, with most of the activity occurring around the many of the six churches in the neighborhood. The overall image so far is that the residents are friendly, but inquisitive of the college students walking through their neighborhood (not necessarily a bad thing). The homes that make up the neighborhood are mostly older- many built in the early 1900’s and in badly need of repair. ?Many of the homes show signs of neglect, like vinyl siding buckling, mold on the vinyl, paint chipping on exterior walls & porches, and roofs with missing shingles. ?Most houses are one-story, single family homes with small yards, but there are a couple of duplexes and apartment complexes scattered throughout the neighborhood. Yards vary in upkeep as well, some well-maintained with mowed lawns and planted flowers, while others have grass over a foot tall. Overall, there seem to be a lot more homes in need of a few fixes than ones without any issues. ?There are approximately four homes right now that are marked as condemned and three have city notices for lack of upkeep; there have been seven homes in the past two years that have been foreclosed and gone to auction. ?This is quite a lot considering there are only about 300 homes in the neighborhood. ?The condemned homes are concerning because there could possibly be other homes with similar serious issues that could raise environmental health concerns. From what we can see about home upkeep on the outside, there could be serious health concerns like mold, lead, asbestos, radon, pesticides/chemicals, and pests inside the homes.The streets of the neighborhood vary by which street you’re on; some have every streetlight on at night with sidewalks on both sides. Others have maybe half the street lights working and no sidewalks. The streets that lacked sidewalks seemed to be the ones that cars were going over the speed limit on, but that may have been our raised perception because we were at higher risk of being hit by a car on the road. Most people in the neighborhood seem to own cars, but there are several bus stops on the roads bordering the neighborhood. We also saw several people walking and biking through the neighborhood.Overall, our group learned a lot about the neighborhood from the windshield tour because it allowed us to interact with residents and observe some of their routines. There was one incident in which I was questioned for taking a picture of a man’s ‘No trespassing’ sign, but once we explained what we were doing, he was happy to talk to us. We were also stopped by a car while walking down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive so they could find out what we were doing. Access to food seems to be an issues in the neighborhood. From walking through the neighborhood, it seems like the Quik Save convenience store is the neighborhood’s closest resource for on-the-go food options. Many people were seen walking out with two-liter soda bottles and prepackaged snacks; this could be a health concern if that is a common ritual for residents. There aren’t many food options in close proximity to the neighborhood. ?There is a Fairway One Stop just west of the neighborhood and a Food Lion a mile and a half away. There are options for healthier foods at these locations, but access to fresh fruits and vegetables may still be an issue.There are dental and family practice locations within two miles of the neighborhood, but access to health and wellness services is a concern. There were many handicap accessible homes in the neighborhood, which suggests there are several people struggling with health problems. The religious institutions are abundant in the neighborhood- there are five churches in the neighborhood and one directly adjacent. The churches in the neighborhood were mostly empty on Wednesday evening (despite signs saying they had Wednesday services), but several had people there Sunday afternoon. The churches in the neighborhood seem to be an important resource for residents in the neighborhood because of the events and fundraisers they do. The churches also seem to bring a lot of people into the neighborhood, but it is unknown how many of these people have personal ties to the community. There are a couple of businesses located on the western border of the neighborhood. Both O’Neal Steel and VF Jeanswear seem like more industrial locations, whereas Nussbaum hosts small entrepreneurship businesses. At this time, it is not known if any of these businesses provide jobs for people in the neighborhood. The neighborhood has a Guilford Child Development Center in it; this location provides Head Start/ Early Head Start programs for children, as well as catering for kids, nurse family partnership, regional child care resources and referral, and learning together family literacy. The neighborhood is districted to Gillespie Park Elementary, which is less than a mile away from the neighborhood. ?The neighborhood is districted to Kiser Middle and Grimsley High school despite there being other middle schools (Bennett, Lincoln, and Jackson) and high school (Dudley) that are closer. There is likely a reason why the neighborhood is districted to a school that is farther away and it would be interesting to know how this impacts students in the neighborhood.Chelsea’s Windshield Tour (Revised)Arlington Park is a residential neighborhood located in Greensboro, NC.? There are differences in the layout of the neighborhood in the northwestern portion and southwestern portions.? The northwestern portion of Arlington Park was comprised of small unkempt single-family homes and the southwestern portion comprised of much larger single family and renovated homes.? We entered the community by driving along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.? There were accessible sidewalks on both sides of the street one was made of brick and the other side of regular concrete.? Although some parts of the street were under construction, there were bike lanes on both sides along with streetlights.? I noticed a change in the scenery coming into the neighborhood entering from Martin Luther King Drive.? Some of the noticeable changes were that there were no sidewalks or the sidewalks were not accessible due to overgrown grass and other debris, therefore, many people were walking along the side of the streets.? Also, I did not notice any bike lanes or crosswalks throughout the neighborhood.? The industrial or commercial areas were along the perimeter of the community, such as O’Neal Steel and VF Jeanswear, but none located inside the neighborhood.? There was an Exxon gas station and convenience store located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which is the nearest location of a food source for the neighborhood.?Describing the conditions of the houses in the northwestern side, the streets of Caldwell and Lucerne consisted of many houses were abandoned or for rent.? The houses that were for rent were very small and some of the yards were overgrown.? The paint on the houses looked old and it was chipped.? Some of the homes in this area had screens on the windows or the windows were missing and some houses had doors and windows boarded.? Entering the southhwestern part of the neighborhood, the quality of the houses improved near Mary E. Black Street and Vance Street.? Some of these houses looked newly renovated and there were paved driveways and large yards.? Most of these houses had garages and a few of the houses had flower gardens.? The renovated houses had complete paint jobs and no missing windows or condemned houses.The conditions of the streets throughout the neighborhood of Arlington Park were fair.? None of the streets had many potholes and also lacked clear traffic direction markings.? There were not stop signs at the ends of every street.? The streets in the northwestern side of the neighborhood where there were houses for rent were small in width and the sides of the streets were cluttered with trash and grass debris.? On the opposite side of the neighborhood, there were smaller amounts of trash in the streets with the larger single-family homes.? Also, streets such as Randolph Avenue were widely lit at night compared to Andrew Street with little lighting and abandoned homes.The speed limit in the community was 25 mph.? Most cars seemed to be going much faster than the speed limit.? I noticed a transportation bus stop along the main streets that surrounded the community on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, but I did not see any other bus stops inside the community.? There were not any benches next to the bus stop or a sheltered area for riders to stand.There were about 6 churches throughout the community.? The largest church was New Missionary Zion Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Drive.? Guilford Child Development Center was located within the community on Arlington Street.? This was the closest resemblance to a school-like facility in the area.? This facility offers head start, childcare resources/referrals, and has family literacy programs.? There were 2 parks within the neighborhood.? Arlington Park, with a playground for children, and another smaller park with a large grassy area and a basketball court.? There were not designated areas for parking at either of these sites.? All of these resources are within close proximity so depending on the resident’s location, they could walk if they choose to.I feel that this community has a lot of potential and that it is in a process of change.? Walking through the community and talking with community residents gave me a better feel and impression on the people who live there.? I liked that I was able to see the neighborhood for myself and draw my own observations and thoughts.? The largest challenge that I feel is that I do not get a sense of common cohesiveness in the community.? I think this is due to the way that the neighborhood seems to change in the northwestern side to the southwestern side.? I was really surprised at the drastic changes of the conditions of the houses from being abandoned and no sidewalk access to large colorfully renovated homes on Mary E. Black Street.? I cannot decipher whether the community has gradually been declining or whether they are beginning to restore it.? For such a small community, it seems that there would be more cohesiveness in appearance and in communication.? As for the residents, I felt at ease when speaking with them.? This could be because this community somewhat reminds me of my hometown.? My hometown is divided between East and West Kinston and there is that same drastic change in the appearance after crossing into the western section of town.? In the section of the neighborhood where the houses were in worse condition, the people seemed to be friendlier and spoke to us as we went along.? In the section of the neighborhood where the houses and yards were larger and well kept, these residents seemed more reserved.? This made me feel like there may be a slight divide within the neighborhood.? When we spoke with a couple (white female, black male) they agreed that Arlington Park was a good neighborhood to live in and everyone looks out for one another.? On the next block when we spoke to a black male who was walking home from work.?? He said that you have to be careful wherever you are in the neighborhood and lookout for yourself.? These 2 informal interviews helped me see that there are some vast differences in the neighborhood and thoughts and opinions do vary by section.? If there is an actual division in Arlington Park, I am interested to know what the differences are in areas such as education and financial stability between the two sections of the neighborhood.Socio-Demographic ProfileAt A Glance AgeArlington Park, Census Tract 113 has a higher percentage of 15 to 24 year olds (17.3%) than Forsyth County, Guilford County and North Carolina. This indicates that there is a greater amount of people who are in the working age population living in this area and need for employment could be higher in this area.Race & EthnicityTotal population of 2,862 peopleHigher rate of Blacks or African Americans than North Carolina, Guilford County, and Forsyth County as a wholeEducationYounger residents (<25) are less likely to have a college or high school diploma than Guilford County and North Carolina.All residents have a low college graduation rate comparatively, but some age groups (25-34 and 35-44) have a higher high school graduation rate than the county and North Carolina comparisons.Income/Poverty StatusThe median family income in Arlington Park at $38,000/year is nearly a third less than Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina.Almost 20% of families in Arlington Park have income below the federal poverty level.Home ownership vs. renter-ship, density, home value65.5% of homes in Census Tract 113 are less than $100,000.70.7% of residents are paying over 35% of their income on rent.Employment/disabilityCensus Tract 113 has a higher percentage of those unemployed without a disability (14.8) and has a lower number of those who are employed without a disability (54) out of Guilford County, Forsyth County and North rmation suggests that there may be a greater need for employment opportunities for individuals with and without a disability in Census Tract 113.Arlington Park Age Table 1. Age Distribution ?Census Tract 113 (Arlington Park)Guilford CountyForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaEstimated Population3074489,576351,3689,544,249AgeEst. PercentageEst. PercentageEst. PercentageEst. Percentage14 years & under14.1%19.3%20.4%19.9%15 to 24 years17.3%15.6%14%13.9%25 to 44 years23%27%26.3%26.9%45 to 54 years13.5% 14.1%14.4%14.2%55 to 64 years16.9%11.5%11.8%11.9%65 to 84 years12.3%11%12.3% 11.6%85 years +2.9%1.5%1.8%1.5%Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year EstimatesAccording to the American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, Census Tract 113 (Arlington Park) has a greater population of 15 to 24 year olds (17.3%) than Guilford County (15.6%), Forsyth County (14%), and North Carolina (13.9%) respectively. ?There is also a larger population of 55 to 64 year olds (16.9%) in Census Tract 113 compared to Guilford (11.5%), Forsyth County (11.8%), and North Carolina (11.9%). ?The Census Bureau states that focusing on population’s age and sex composition is one of the most basic ways to understand population change over time. By studying the population’s age, it can reflect past and present social and economic changes or challenges. ?Census Tract 113 has a higher percentage of 15 to 24 year olds than Forsyth County, which indicates that there is a greater amount of people who are in the working age population living in this area and need for employment could be higher in this area. ?Census Tract 113 has a larger population that is 65 and older (15.2) compared to Guilford County. ?Since 65 years is beyond the normal working age, this may indicate that there is a greater need for senior services in this area compared to Guilford County as a whole.Race and Ethnicity Table 2: Race and EthnicityCensus Tract 113(Arlington ParkGuilford CountyForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaTotal Population2,862488,406350,6709,535,483TotalPercentTotalPercentTotalPercentTotalPercentWhite1324.6278,52557218,51762.36,528,48368.5Black or African American2,69290.7158,89932.591,22726.02,048,62821.5American Indian or Alaska Native70.22,5840.51,4570.4122,1101.3Asian50.219,1763.96,4951.9208,9282.2Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0023502230.16,6040.1Othre 672.317,6753.625,1677.2414,0304.3??Source: factfinder2.; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community SurveyHealth is an important issue in the Arlington Park community and race and ethnicity could be an indicator of the potential health issues that are occurring within the community. ?Some races and ethnicities are more susceptible to certain health issues, such as heart disease and high blood pressure, which makes it more important to look further into the racial and ethnic demographics. ?Census Tract 113 (Arlington Park) has a total population of 2,862 people. ?According to the 2010 United States Census, Census Tract 113 (Arlington Park) has a higher population of Blacks or African Americans (90.7%) than North Carolina, Guilford County, and Forsyth County as a whole (List a gross number or percentage for NC/Guilford/Forsyth). ??Since there is such a huge African American population, there may be a greater need for health interventions for this group based on health equity and health disparities. ?Education Table 3. Educational Attainment across Population Age Subgroups Census Tract 113(Arlington Park)Guilford CountyForsyth County North CarolinaTotal Population 2,511375,173266,0927,269,31118-24 years old40256,61735,231945,192Less than high school33.1%13.4%19.1%17.5%High school graduate34.3%25.7%31.2%29.2%Some college or Associates32.6%51.3%39%44.9%Bachelor’s degree or higher0%9.7%10.7%8.4%25-34 years old33564,87645,1001,246,313High school graduate or higher91.3%87.8%84.3%85.3%Bachelor’s degree or higher22.1%34.9%32.8%29.8%35-44 years old37267,41747,4091,329,005High school graduate or higher97%89%88.6%87.6%Bachelor’s degree or higher16.7%36.5%34.6%30.4%45-64 years old936125,29692,4282,500,832High school graduate or higher75.9%90.8%91%87.6%Bachelor’s degree or higher18.7%34.2%33.8%30.4%65 years old +46660,96745,9241,247,969High school graduate or higher67.6%78.6%80/9%74.5%Bachelor’s degree or higher22.5%24.8%23% 19.9%Source: ?U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year EstimatesAccording to the 2008-2012 American Community 5-Year Estimates Survey, Arlington Park and Census Tract 113 are falling behind Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina in education attainment. In the 18-24 year old age group, 33.1% of the residents in Census Tract 113 did not obtain a high school diploma; this is high compared to Guilford County (13.4%) and North Carolina (17.5%). ?However, that age group has a higher rate of high school graduates than the county or state levels, but this is because there are fewer residents attending college and graduating college than at the higher levels. Census Tract 113 consistently has much lower Bachelor’s degree numbers across each age group compared to Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina. In the 18-24 year old age group, Arlington Park has 0 residents who have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Also, the older populations (45 years old and up) in the census tract have much lower high school graduation and college graduation numbers than their county and state counterparts. The 25-34 and 35-44 age groups have a greater high school graduation rate compared to the county and state numbers, but have a very low college graduation rate. Education has an impact on income, which has a direct effect on health and access to proper health. Income & Poverty Status Table 4. Family Income Statistics from American Community Survey Census Tract 113, (Arlington Park)Guilford CountyForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaMedian family income$38,152$59,244$60,094$57,146Mean family income $47,519$78,517$78,780$74,684Number of Families686122,20488,4972,464,763Percent Est.Percent Est.Percent Est.Percent Est.?Less than $10,0005.4%5.3%5.5%5.4%?$10,000 to $14,9999.6%3.7%3.5%3.7%?$15,000 to $24,99912.0%8.6%9.3%9.5%?$25,000 to $34,99920.0%10.3%10.4%10.6%?$35,000 to $49,99918.4%14.4%12.9%14.5%?$50,000 to $74,99917.6%19.2%19.8%20.0%?$75,000 to $99,9998.2%13.7%13.8%13.9%?$100,000 to $149,9997.6%14.4%14.8%13.6%?$150,000 to $199,9991.3%5.6%4.7%4.6%?$200,000 or more0.0%4.8%5.1%4.2%Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year EstimatesTable 5. Percent of families with income below the federal poverty level in the past 12 months Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year EstimatesFamily income was selected for comparison to enable us to analyze the federal poverty levels which the guidelines are based off of family income. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau (2013), a family is any group of 2 people or more who live together and are related by blood, adoption, or are married. Based off the data from the American Community Survey, families in Census Tract 113, which contains Arlington Park, make significantly less income compared to Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina residents. At only $38,000, the median family income of Arlington Park households is almost one third less than the median family income of the other groups. Almost one third of Arlington Park families make less than $25,000 a year. Up to 20% of all families in Arlington Park have income below the poverty line. The estimates of income below the poverty line in Arlington Park have too wide margins of error to accurately predict income for different family types. For example, the estimate of income for female household with no husband present has a margin of error at 100%, which means that the ACS did not have enough data to estimate the percentage of those households below the poverty line. ?The significance of this is that with this margin of error we are not able to make a prediction about vulnerable populations, such as maternal health. HomeownershipTable 6. ?Housing Characteristics across Geographical AreaCensus Tract 113 (Arlington Park)Guilford CountyForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaOccupied housing units1,276193,890139,0333,693,221Home ValuePercent Est.Percent Est.Percent Est.Percent Est.Less than $50,0001.8%3.9%5.3%9.7%$50,000-$99,99963.7%18.3%15.6%18.1%$100,000-$149,99921.9%25.3%27.1%20.6%$150,000-$199-9996.8%18.9%22.6%17.4%$200,000 or more5.8%33.6%28.3%34.1%Housing TenureOwner-Occupied55.7%62.5%64.7%67.1%Renter-Occupied44.3%37.5%35.3%32.9%Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income (GRAPI)Less than 25%11.6%37.8%36.3%38.3%25-34.9%17.7%21.3%20.7%19.9%35% or more70.7%40.9%43.0%41.8%Source: ?U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates??The table of housing characteristics shows housing disparities between Arlington Park (Census Tract 113), Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina. ?Home values in Arlington Park show little variance, with the majority (63.7%) of homes falling in the $50,000-$99,999 range. ?Compared to only 18.3 % of homes in Guilford County, 15.6% of homes in Forsyth County, and 18.1% of homes in the entire state of North Carolina that fall into this range, home value in Arlington Park is significantly lower. ?This becomes even more pronounced when looking at the data for both homes in the $150,000-$199,999 range and homes in the $200,000 or more range. ?Adding up these percentages for each geographic area show that Arlington Park has only 12.6% of the homes valued above $150,000 while every other geographic region in the table have over half the homes in their area valued at over $150,000. ?These values, along with the comparatively high percentage of rented homes in Arlington Park (44.7% compared to 37.5%, 35.3% and 32.9% in Guilford, Forsyth, and North Carolina respectively) and the GRAPI of the area (70.7% of Arlington Park residents are spending over 35% of their income on rent, compared to 40.9%, 43.0% and 41.8% of Guilford, Forsyth and North Carolina respectively) show that residents of Arlington Park are paying significantly more of their monthly income on cheaper homes. ?With so many residents spending money on housing, this leaves less income for other resources. ?Any interventions that are explored should provide minimal to no economic burdens on residents that have to put this much income into housing.Employment & Disability Table 7. Employment and Disability Based on the definition set forth by the U.S. Census Bureau (2012), the labor force expressed in the employment and disability data provided in the above table is defined as individuals 18 to 64 years of age. The population of those with a disability and their employment status is a vital indicator of a geographical area’s health. However, it is also important to mention the impact that health has on employment. A healthy workforce contributes to economic success and helps to increase efficiency and productivity (Doyle, Kavanagh, Metcalfe, & Lavin). The table provided above offers some insight into how Census Tract 113 (Arlington Park) compares to the county in which it is located, Guilford County; a neighboring county, Forsyth County; and with the state of North Carolina. The row titled total in the table above describes the estimated number of individuals in each given area in regards to employment and disability status. Percentages were calculated by dividing the total estimated number of individuals in a given area found in the columns (such as Arlington Park) by the specific population in the rows (such as unemployed) and then multiplied by 100. This data shows that while Census Tract 113 (76.7) and Guilford County (78.3) have close percentages of individuals in the labor force, Census Tract 113 has the highest percentage of all geographic areas of individuals employed (4.8) and unemployed (3.1) with a disability. Forsyth County has the lowest percentage of individuals in the labor force who are employed with a disability (2.5).When looking at Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina percentages of individuals unemployed without a disability (7.4, 6.8 and 7), these percentages are a small fraction of the percentage of individuals who are employed without a disability (67.3, 66.4, and 64.9). However, Census Tract 113 has a higher percentage of those unemployed without a disability (14.8) and has a lower number of those who are employed without a disability (54) out of all the geographical areas. This information suggests that there may be a greater need for employment opportunities for individuals with and without a disability in Census Tract 113.Ethnographic Interviews At a Glance EducationCommunity leaders realize the importance of education and strive to encourage residents to as well.“Both parents and children need to value education for mutual success.” -Mr. Britt, Executive Director at Guilford Child Development Center.Teen Pregnancy“27% of teen births are second births.” -Mr. Britt, Executive Director at Guilford Child Development Center.Role models“The high school dropout rate can be partly attributed to the lack of role models in the neighborhood.” -Reverend Wright, pastor at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church.“The community needs more strong black male role models to lead the youth, showing them how to be fathers and men.” -Robert Caple, Vice President of the Neighborhood Association.Neighborhood ImprovementsResidents of Arlington Park understand their individual responsibilities when it comes to improving the neighborhood, such as reporting broken street lights or maintaining their homes in accordance with HOA guidelines. However, it is more difficult for residents to understand how city regulations, such as zoning, improve the neighborhood. The point of changing zoning is to increase employment opportunities within Arlington Park, but the different zoning plans confused residents.Perception“There are housing projects in the area and that is sometimes associated with low income individuals with crime. Ignorance of people has created this problem and we are here trying to change this perception of the area by operating here.” -Clay Howard, Vice President Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship. “Arlington Park is a community in need but I believe there is still pride in Arlington Park through the Neighborhood Association, separate from Ole Asheboro Square.”-Mr. Barrett, Executive Director Guilford Child Development Center.Access to Quality Food“The neighborhood is in a food desert and residents lack access to nutritious and fresh foods.”-Robert Caple, Vice President of the Neighborhood Association.Both Reverend Wright of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church and Mr. Britt of Guilford Child Development are working to create sustainable programs to combat some of the hunger issues in the neighborhood.Employment Methods After gaining knowledge about Arlington Park by walking throughout the community and conducting a windshield tour, the group discovered that there were six churches, signs for a community watch association, the Guilford Child Development Center and a few companies within or bordering the neighborhood that may have an impact on the residents of the area. We used these established organizations to identify community leaders and residents to interview within the community. After the interview candidates were contacted and agreed an interview, one group member met with the interviewee to ask them the interview questions while another group member attended to take field notes. Iza and Heather were the exceptions, as they conducted the interviews and took the field notes alone. ?Officer Campbell recommended Robert Caple as a key informant after Laura contacted the Greensboro Police Department, via phone, about the community watch program. Mr. Caple is the vice president of the Arlington Park Neighborhood Association. As a group, we felt that he would be knowledgeable about the challenges and improvements that the community is currently making. This interview occurred after an Olde Asheboro neighborhood association meeting in the basement of the Nettie Coade Apartment Complex on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which was attended by Laura, Brandon, Iza, and Heather. To see what presence churches have in the community and how ministers serve as community leaders, Brandon interviewed Reverend William Wright. He is the lead pastor at one of the largest churches in the community, New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, and has been there for over three decades. The Guilford Child Development Center, in the northwest corner of the community at the intersection of Arlington and Andrew Street, was the closest facility to a community center that we found in the neighborhood and felt it was a viable resource that directly serves the community. Gabrielle wanted to speak to someone at the center and looked up the staff members information on their website. She found Robin Britt as the executive director of the Guilford Child Development Center and contacted him via email. Iza interviewed Russell Barrett who works with the Washington Group, a real estate inspection service company located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Mr. Barrett was referred to Iza due to his knowledge about the history of Arlington Park after she spoke to an attorney at the Washington Group. This interview was formally conducted on the phone. With most companies laying outside of the community’s borders, as a group we felt it was important to discover the impact at least one of these industries may have on the residents. Sam Funchess is the president and CEO of the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship located on S. Elm-Eugene Street and was contacted via email to set up an appointment for an interview by Heather. Interview Questions Defining the Community (Resident) Interview questions:How would you describe this community?What types of people live here?Do you belong to any groups or clubs?What do people who live here do to meet basic needs such asget moneyfind a jobget foodfind housingrecreationprotectioneducationmake friendstransportationhealth carereligionWhat are some of the best things about living here?What are some things the community could do to make this a better place to live?What do you and others do to stay healthy?What health problems have you and your family had to deal with?What are some of the major concerns about living here? What are the causes for these problems?Are there problems that the community is currently trying to address? Who are important people helping to solve those problems? What are the solutions they are trying?How has the community changed since you have been a resident in the neighborhood?Community Leaders Interview Questions:How long have you lived in the community? Why did you choose to move to the area?Have most people lived here a long time or are there a lot of people moving in and out?When did you develop a role with the (insert company name or association group)? Why did you get involved?How would you describe this community? (try to see what important characteristics people use to describe the community without suggesting which characteristics the researcher might feel are important)What has changed the most over the time period that you’ve lived here? Can you give us a brief history?Who are the leaders within the community that are most concerned about the following issues: health; housing; employment; education; children; recreation; crime; physical conditions; etc. (probe for other areas).Tell us a little about the residentsWhere do they work? Close or far away? Are there issues with employment?Where do they get food?What do they do for recreation?Do residents mostly attend the churches in the area?What do they do for healthcare?Main modes of transportation?Education? Are there many young residents in schools? Have there been any issues with schools?What do residents do for protection?What are some of the best things about this community?What are some of the major problems that this community has? What are the causes for these problems?What are some things the community could do to make this a better place to live?What are some things that you would like to see change in the next 5 years?Results/ThemesBefore we set up any interviews, the group discussed what themes we wanted to analyze regarding Arlington Park. ?The group decided we should let the interviewees reveal the themes by letting them talk about what they thought was important. ?To accomplish this, interview questions were intentionally broad and open-ended, such as, “what would you change about the community?” and, “what do you like best about your community?” so the interviewees had the opportunity to discuss whatever they thought was most important. ?As a group, we reviewed the wide variety of subjects our interviews covered. By discussing the subjects with each other, we found our interviews had certain issues that multiple interviewees thought were important, and many subjects were repeated in multiple interviews. Once we agreed upon the common concerns expressed by our interviewees, we decided they were important themes because they were discussed by multiple community leaders and residents. The themes that we found are education, teen pregnancy, role models, neighborhood improvements, outside perception of the neighborhood, and access to quality foodsEducationEducation is an issue in the Arlington Park neighborhood. Residents and local leaders feel that the kids in the neighborhood don’t see the value in an education- they think about what is going on in their life right now and not in the future. Robert Caple talked about how kids in the neighborhood don’t see the value of staying out of trouble and working towards college or a job. Reverend Wright mentioned that many kids don’t think it’s cool to be smart and they drop out of school; they don’t have role models or family that see the value of an education and encourage them to stay in school. He also said that the young men and women of the area value the hip-hop lifestyle instead (drugs, cars, money, etc) and he’s had to bury too many of these kids who have gotten into trouble. Robin Britt talked about how it is critical to invest in the early years of a child’s life so they can be ready for school and succeed. Mr. Britt works at the Guilford Child Development Center, which starts educating parents before the child is even born to provide high-quality early education for the child and job training for the parents. This program is working to engage the parent so that both the parent and the child value education for mutual success.Role Models The Arlington Park youth suffer from a lack of quality role models. Many of the interviewees spoke of how children in the neighborhood deal with drugs, dropping out of school and teen pregnancy on a daily basis. According to the interviews, the lack of role models in the community keep the youth from seeing a way outside of the cycle of these issues. Robert Caple mentioned the significant number of single parent homes in the neighborhood where youth do not have strong mentorship. He continued to state that this is one of the reasons he feels there is high dropout rate of high school teenagers in the neighborhood. He said that the neighborhood youth, “think it’s normal for men to go to jail and for teenage girls to have babies.” Reverend William Wright blames some of the neighborhood issues on the hip-hop culture that the youth has grown up with. Glorification of drugs, women and violence in hip-hop music has caused many of the children to idealize the things they hear in the music. The youth lack quality role models, and look up to the drug dealers on the street, which have been in and out of prison. Reverend Wright also mentioned how kids, “don’t think being smart is cool,” so many of them drop-out to join the many of their peers that get caught in the cycle of drug-dealing and crime. He agreed with Mr. Caple that there is a sense of complacency in the neighborhood with many of the issues they face, that unfortunately this is the norm. ?He believes the youth, most specifically black males, need better role models that have an education and are being active fathers to their children to show them how to be a man. Mr. Britt has worked to remedy the lack of role models by providing families with a family advocate. These advocates work with the families and children to improve the condition and quality of family life through mentorship. PregnancyBased on the interviews with community leaders and residents, we were informed that teen pregnancy is a prominent issue in the Arlington Park community. Mr. Caple, from the neighborhood association stated, “It’s great to produce a child, but it’s not good if you’re not able to support that child. A baby is a blessing, but you need to be able to support your child.” ?Mr. Caple also addressed the fact that the children of the teen mothers see this cycle as normal so the cycle continues to happen. When asked his thoughts on teen pregnancy, Reverend Wright stated, “We have babies raising babies.” ?He went further on to discuss how people are not thinking of possible outcomes when they give into their needs. Mr. Robin Britt shared some statistics on teen pregnancy with us. He informed us that 27% of teen births are 2nd births - which means that there are teens under the age of 19 years old with two children. He also informed us of how costly childcare can be; childcare for two children under the age of five years old may be about $1,500 a month. The Guilford Child Development Center works with people who are in a crisis situation (earning less than $100/week) with their scholarship program funded by United Way. ?Neighborhood ImprovementsNeighborhood improvements within the community were a concern for both residential members and community leaders alike, although specific duties were less clear as they progressed from individuals to organizations. Mr. Barrett explained that residents of Arlington Park are responsible for keeping their home in accordance with neighborhood code. While Mr. Caple mentioned that residents would work together to report sidewalks or light posts that needed repair to Neighborhood Association members or the City of Greensboro. This information offers insight about what community members may want to see improvements on in their neighborhood and about how much they want to contribute with the efforts to make Arlington Park a better place. Reverend Wright is working to build a community center aimed to provide resources to the neighborhood. Their goal is for community involvement and inclusion so they can bring people together and help residents; but, the community has not supported all of the goals of the church. For example, Reverend Wright wanted to build a shelter for battered women and prostitutes in the neighborhood, since prostitution was a problem for the area. The idea was stopped because community leaders didn’t consider those women residents of the neighborhood. In addition, there are still some thing that may hinder improvement in the short term. According to Mr. Britt, unemployment became an issue for the neighborhood when Burlington Industries went out of business and large corporations left the area. Without more employment opportunities, residents will not have the financial means to contribute towards continuing neighborhood improvement.When it came to organizational improvements, residents did not appear to understand the process very well. Many questions were repeated at the neighborhood association meeting, as residents tried to understand the differences between mixed use, vertical use, commercial, and residential zoning. The city representative explained the importance of the two zoning projects. One zoning project was slated for mixed use, so that a large business like Family Dollar could operate within the Arlington Park and Old Asheboro neighborhoods in the hopes of increasing employment opportunities within the neighborhood. The other zoning project was for a large residential area to support an apartment complex with on-site management to attract a commercial rental property to the area. The goal of having a large rental property was to keep rent affordable for residents and avoid gentrification. Residents at the meeting repeated questions about the differences between zoning projects, demonstrating a lack of understanding about how the projects worked and what responsibilities the neighborhood association had with city council in order to move the projects forward. The lack of understanding was concerning since the projects were designed to benefit the neighborhood by increasing employment and housing opportunities. PerceptionPerception of how Arlington Park is viewed by individuals not from the community was a topic expressed by both community residents and leaders. Sam Funchess and his vice president Clay Howard want to change individual’s perception on the neighborhood. Clay stated that businesses that they work with on occasions have referred to their location as ‘that neighborhood’ and they consistently ask them why they moved there. Sam and his colleague want people to realize that this is a safe area. One way they are helping to change the perception of the area is being seen doing more activities such as community events, hosting events, and helping others start events. They are contributing to changing the fear associated with the area which both men agreed that may be associated with the housing projects in the area and that is sometimes considered to be low income individuals that may contribute to criminal acts. Ignorance of people has created this problem and Sam says they are there trying to change this perception of the area by operating their business in the community. Mr. Britt from the Guilford Childhood Development Center mentioned crime in the neighborhood as something others notice before entering the community. Years ago one of his employees got shot in the parking lot outside the facility, a drug dealer used to live across the street from the building and at one point in time ‘street walkers’ roamed the area. He continues to say that he knows Arlington Park is a community in need. Other members of the community such as Reverend Wright was quoted saying that “The community hasn’t lost sight of itself” and Mr. Barrett believes there is still pride in Arlington Park through the Neighborhood Association, separate from Ole Asheboro Square.Access to quality food ‘Most of the grocery stores in the area are not in walking distance and there’s only one fast food option, Church’s Chicken, in the community. Arlington Park is a food desert,” admitted Robert Caple. Although he knows a new Walmart and the promise of a new Family Dollar store will increase the food options, finding nutritious and fresh foods is an issue. Reverend Wright hopes to fix some of the food access issues in the neighborhood by providing nutrition education and possibly a farmers market when New Zion Baptist Church builds its Family Life Center just outside of the neighborhood boundaries. Right now the church helps provide families with food when they need it, but he would like to create something more sustainable that will empower people to help themselves. Nutrition and food access also came up in Robin Britt’s interview; he is noted as saying a lot of families in the neighborhood go hungry and there is a lack of quality food. The Guilford Child Development Center is trying to help with the access to food by providing a food pantry open to the public every Thursday and a backpack program that gives kids food for the weekend every Friday to combat some of the hunger issues.Employment The need for employment was a large concern presented during my interview with Mr. Doe. ?He stated that he had been out of work for several years after being laid off from a construction site. ?Because his mother was sick for several years prior to her passing, being unemployed was not such a large issue because his priority was to care for her. ?Now that she is no longer living, he said that he has more time on his hands but he has been unsuccessful in finding work. ?During the interview, he mentioned that he dropped out of high school. ?Therefore, education may be a variable in being unsuccessful at finding employment. ?Mr. Doe also mentioned how the dynamics of the neighborhood have changed and are different from when he was growing up. ?He felt that there are more “babies having babies” and people in the neighborhood are not striving to their full potential. ?He said that the youth of the community can become better but they do not seem like a tight knit group the way that young people were when he was growing up.Health Profile At a Glance Mortality Rates2/3 of all deaths were due to chronic diseases, including all cancers, diseases of the heart, and chronic respiratory diseaseGuilford County had a higher homicide rate (6.3 per 100,000)between 2008-2012 than both Forsyth County (5.0 per 100,000) and North Carolina (6.0 per 100,000)Access to HealthcareIn 2012, Guilford County had 8.46 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents and Forsyth County had 12.21 per 10,000 residents.Approximately 16.4% of Guilford County residents don’t have health insurance. This is higher than Forsyth (15.9%) and North Carolina (16.2%).TobaccoCounty Health Rankings and Roadmaps organization rank Guilford County at 17% for adult tobacco smoking. ?This is lower than the 20% average for Forsyth County, and the state of North Carolina.Environmental QualityThe air quality of Guilford County was consistently higher than both North Carolina and the United States.In 2010, Guilford County had a rate of 128.6 per 100,000 discharges for children 0-14 with the primary diagnosis of asthma.Maternal, Infant and Child HealthTotal of 6,169 live births in Guilford County and 4,522 in Forsyth County in 2013.Minorities and women with low income are more prone to have babies with low birth weights.9.42% of live births in Guilford County are below normal birth weight.Social DeterminantsEducation and low income served as leading health indicators in Arlington Park for poor health outcomes. High school education levels occurred jointly with low health insurance levels. Obesity and Physical ActivityFrom 2010-2014 there was a minute decrease in adult obesity in Guilford County at 27%, down one percentage from 28%.Currently, Guilford County has 1 in 4 residents who are physically inactive, while Forsyth County has approximately 1 in 5.When it comes to limited access to healthy foods and food insecurity Forsyth County is the worst at 6.3 on the food environment index compared to Guilford County at 6.5 and North Carolina at 6.9Leading causes of mortality Chart 1. Leading Causes of Mortality 2009-2012 Source: North Carolina Center for Health Statistics, 2012Data is age-adjusted to the 2000 US Census Between 2008 and 2012, cancer (any type) and heart disease were the leading causes of death in Guilford County, Forsyth County, and North Carolina. About two-thirds of all deaths were due to chronic diseases, including cancers, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic lower respiratory disease and diabetes.The mortality rates for diseases of the heart are much lower in Forsyth County (146.6 per 100,000) and Guilford County (154.1 per 100,000) than North Carolina as a whole (184.4 per 100,000). ?Guilford County had a higher homicide rate (6.3 per 100,000) between 2008 to 2012 than both Forsyth County (5.0 per 100,000) and North Carolina (6.0 per 100,000).Guilford County had the lowest overall mortality rate of the three between 2008 and 2012 with 19,034 deaths and an age-adjusted rate of 757.3 per 100,000. Forsyth followed with 14,766 deaths and an age-adjusted rate of 789.4 per 100,000. North Carolina was the highest with 394,087 deaths and an age-adjusted rate of 826.2 per 100,000.Birth Statistics Table 1. NC Resident Infant (< year) Death Rates per 1,000 Live Births, 2008-2012Guilford CountyForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaTotal Infant Deaths 2782384,675Total Infant Death Rate per 1,000 live births 9.010.07.5White Infant Death Rate 5.57.05.6African American Infant Death Rate 13.619.114.0Hispanic Infant Death Rate 8.95.55.3Non-Hispanic Infant Death Rate 4.44.95.9Source: North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, 2014According to the Guilford County Department of Public Health Community Assessment, “Preterm births and low birth weight births tend to be concentrated in [Southeast] and East Greensboro… areas with lower average incomes and higher proportions of minority residents” (Health concern: Poor birth outcomes, 2013). Therefore, minorities and women with low income are more prone to having babies that are at a low birth weight (500-2,499 grams/3 pounds 5 ounces – 5 pounds 8 ounces). ?There are 9.42% of live births are below the normal birth weight (2,500 – 3,999 grams) and most of these births occur with women whose age ranges from 25 – 34 years old ("Guilford County Resident Births for 2013 By Age of Mother and Birth Weight in Grams For All Women", 2014). ?Maternal age, in addition to socioeconomic status, are the main determinants of low birth weight (The Future of Children, 2013).According to the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, there were 30,747 live births from 2008-2012 in North Carolina. ?Out of these 30,747 live births, there were 278 infant deaths in Guilford County and 238 infant deaths in Forsyth County. ?Table 1 goes into detail with the total infant deaths of North Carolina residents by county and state, as well as infant death rates per 1,000 and per 100,000 live births. ("SCHS - 2014 County Health Data Book", 2013)Access to healthcare Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States (Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion). ?Chronic disease prevention and management is crucial to preventing death in North Carolina, but access to healthcare and these services makes this possible. ?In 2012, Guilford County had 8.46 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents and Forsyth County has 12.21 per 10,000 residents (North Carolina Health Professions 2012 Data Book). ?Research has shown that an increase of one primary care physician per 10,000 people results in an average all-cause mortality reduction of 5.3%, or 49 per 100,000 people (Macinko 2007). Access to effective and timely primary care is critical for preventing, identifying, and treating chronic diseases that lead to a high mortality rate, but people without health insurance are less likely to have access to this care and are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, receive less treatment, and have a higher mortality rate than people with health insurance (Guilford County Department of Public Health). There were 79,688 people without health insurance in Guilford County (approximately 16.4% of the population) from 2008-2012 (US Census Bureau). The percentage of the population that is uninsured in Guilford County is higher than both Forsyth County (55,346 people uninsured, 15.9% of the population) and North Carolina (1,511,700 people uninsured, 16.2% of the population) for the same time period (US Census Bureau). However, Census Tract 113 (Asheboro Park and Arlington Park) has 31.7% of residents living without health insurance (US Census Bureau). The number of primary care doctors has a positive impact on the overall mortality rate in an area, but without health insurance residents are less likely to receive the medical care they need for that to have an effect. Tobacco UseAccording to NC State Center for Health Statistics in 2012, there were 263 deaths in Guilford County due to cancer of the trachea, bronchus, and lungs. ?County Health Rankings and Roadmaps organization ranks Guilford County at 17% for adult tobacco smoking. ?This is lower than the 20% average for Forsyth County and the state of North Carolina. ?Smoking contributes for 10% towards the category ranking of health factors, in which Guilford county rates number 17 for overall health behaviors, compared to Forsyth County at number 26. ?Cigarette smoking is identified as a cause of various cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory conditions, as well as low birth weight and other adverse health outcomes. ?With the exception of a slight increase in 2012 (21.8%), North Carolina has remained at fairly low smoking percentages over the years. ?Environmental Quality Chart 2. Chart 3.Source: ?Environmental Protection Agency, 2009Source: ?Guilford County DPH, 2012?Environmental quality directly affects one’s health status and quality of life (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2014). ?The three leading causes of death in Guilford County, cancer, heart disease, and chronic lower respiratory disease, can be linked to poor air quality. ?According to Chart 2 (reference in Appendix A), the air quality of Guilford County was consistently poorer than both North Carolina and the United States from 1999 to 2009. ?Environmental factors affect those already at risk the most, such as asthma, which is triggered and exacerbated by environmental factors (USDHHS, 2014). ?In 2010, Guilford County had a rate of 128.6 per 100,000 hospital discharges for children aged 0-14 according to Chart 3 (reference in Appendix A), which is higher than Forsyth County (81.5 per 100,000), but lower than Wake County (199.8 per 100,000) and North Carolina as a whole (166 per 100,000).Social Determinants of HealthSocial Determinants (Iza) Chart 4. Health Insurance Coverage by Age and EducationSource: Factfinder; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008-2012 With ?28.1% of households in census tract 113 below the poverty line, this indicates Arlington Park is statistically more likely to have a poor health outcome according to the data in Table 2 of Appendix C. In addition, 31.2% of households in the Arlington Park neighborhood receive food stamps. These percentages are over twice as high as Guilford County and Forsyth County and North Carolina. According to the World Health Organization, lower socioeconomic status, such as lower income, is associated with poor health outcomes (2014). Poor health outcomes can mean more days sick, younger onset of chronic illness, or a higher rate of chronic illness in a population. Having sufficient income is just one leading indicator if a household is able to afford health care. Access to health care is a second leading indicator of health outcomes especially as it relates closely to education levels. Lack of insurance often results in lack of ?access, as most doctors cannot afford to see patients who do not have insurance in the United States. This becomes an issue within Arlington Park, when a majority of residents with a high school education or less have no health insurance according to data from the ACS 2008-2012 survey. Even if a college education was made affordable and readily available to residents of Arlington Park, this would decrease the percent of residents with no health insurance by almost 20%. However, of the adults between 25 and 65 years old with some college education, 35.43% of Arlington Park residents still have no health insurance. This is more than double the percentage for Guilford County and North Carolina. A lack of health insurance coverage, education, and ?income levels indicate that Arlington Park is an area at risk for poorer health outcomes in Guilford County. Having health insurance coverage is the critical first step to increasing the number of primary care physicians for residents in Arlington Park as was discussed in access to health care.Obesity and Physical ActivityChart 5. Adult Obesity ?????????????????Chart 6. Physical Inactivity ????????Chart 7. Food Environment IndexSource: County Health Rankings, 2014???????Statewide, close to 30% of adults have a body mass index score greater than 30, categorizing them as obese (Guilford County Department of Public Health, 2013). Table 9 (reference in Appendix C) shows from 2010-2014 a minute decrease in adult obesity in Guilford County at 27%, down one percentage from 28%. In Forsyth County adult obesity slightly increased from 25% in 2010 to 26% in 2014. While these percentages are holding close to the state average factors such as physical inactivity, limited access to healthy foods and food insecurity can play a role in the health indicators of a geographical area. Table 10 (reference in Appendix C) provides data for physical inactivity from 2012-2014. During this time the state of North Carolina has been consistent with an overall average at 25% of residents not engaging in physical activity. Currently, Guilford County is inching behind the statewide average with 24% of the residents being physically inactive, while Forsyth County is only at 22%. Although an increase from previous years, Forsyth County is the lowest in comparison to Guilford County and the state of North Carolina. Data from 2014 found in Table 11 (reference in Appendix C) shows that when it comes to limited access to healthy foods and food insecurity Forsyth County is the worst at 6.3 compared to Guilford County at 6.5 and North Carolina at 6.9. According to County Health Rankings (2014), there is strong evidence that residing in a food desert and the lack of constant access to food is correlated to negative health outcomes such as poor nutrition, poor cardiovascular health, weight gain, obesity, and premature death.References City of Greensboro. (2014). Arlington Park. Retrieved from: Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. (2014) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Compare Counties in North Carolina. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Compare Counties in North Carolina. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Compare Counties in North Carolina. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Compare Counties in North Carolina. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Compare Counties in North Carolina. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Compare Counties in North Carolina. Retrieved from: Health Rankings. (2014). Food Environment Index. Retrieved from: , C., Kavanagh, P., Metcalfe, O., & Lavin, T. (2005). Health impacts of employment a review. Retrieved from: ?Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Air Quality Database. ?Washington, D.C. ?Retrieved from: ? County Department of Public Health. (2012). The State of Guilford County’s Health Report. ?Retrieved from: ? County Department of Public Health. (2013). Access to Care. Retrieved from: County Department of Public Health. (2013). Health Concern. Retrieved from: County Department of Public Health. (2013). Health concern: Poor birth outcomes. Retrieved from: , James, Barbara Starfield, and Leiyu Shi. (2007). Quantifying the Health Benefits of Primary Care Physician Supply in the United States. International Journal of Health Services 37.1: 111-26.North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2011). Community Health Assessment Guide Book. Retrieved from: North Carolina Health Professions Data System. (2014). North Carolina Health Professions 2012 Data Book. Retrieved from: Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). Mortality Statistics Summary for 2012 North Carolina Residents. Retrieved from: Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). NC Mortality File. Retrieved from: Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. ?(2014). County Health Data Book, North Carolina Community Health Assessment Process. Retrieved from: Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). Guilford County Resident Births for 2013 By Age of Mother and Birth Weight in Grams For All Women. Retrieved from: Trustees of Princeton University. (2013). The Future of Children. Retrieved from: §ionid=776U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012) B27019 Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type by Age by Educational Attainment.. Retrieved from: . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). C18120-Employment status by disability status. Retrieved from: . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2013). Current Population Survey (CPS) Definitions. Retrieved from . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce (2010). Race, Combinations of Two Races, and Not Hispanic or Latino: 2010 Census Summary File 1. Retrieved from: . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). S1501-Educational Attainment. Retrieved from: . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). S2201 Food Stamps/Snap. Retrieved from: . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). S2701 Health Insurance Access 2008-2012 5 year estimates . Retrieved from: . Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2013). 2008-2012 American Community Survey (ACS). ?Retrieved from . Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). ?Environmental Quality. ?Washington D.C. ?Retrieved from: ? Health Organization. (2014) Key concepts. Retrieved from: ................
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