Impact Lufkin: Economic and Demographic Analysis
Lufkin History/Location/Geography Lufkin, Texas is a town nestled in deep East Texas. I recall my first visit to the town consisted of me searching for a new coffee shop recently. One quick Google search provided me with The Standpipe Coffee House located in the up and coming downtown district. When I walked in I instantly felt like I was in a quaint coffee house in New York City. The service was friendly and quick and locals milled about relaxing with some fresh brew. I felt a distinct feeling that day as I meandered my way to the coffee house that something big was about to happen to this area. You could feel a bit of excitement and spark in the air. The store fronts perched eagerly awaiting folks to come in and take a peek. I left the coffee house that day certain that the downtown area and its surrounding
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Recently efforts have ramped up to improve the neighborhoods associated with these wards via a group called Impact Lufkin. I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of The Impact Lufkin group which was started by the T.L.L. Temple Foundation and is made up of several other community leaders. I understand that the city of Lufkin fully backs this endeavor. The goal is to help build up the area that has been neglected by many and help bring services in that many residents have trouble gaining access to. (newswest9.com, 2016) states that City Councilman Robert Shankle has acknowledged that there's crime and prostitution in the neighborhood. Shankle has been a resident of north Lufkin for many years and represents the community as well. He has mentioned before that the area has had some hard years but is on an upswing now and firmly believes that the Impact Lufkin initiative will help. The group is now in the first of a three-part plan to bring businesses and pride back to the community rich in
Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing project is notorious in the United States for being the most impoverished and crime-ridden public housing development ever established. Originally established as inexpensive housing in the 1940’s, it soon became a vast complex of unsightly concrete low and high-rise apartment structures. Originally touted as a giant step forward in the development of public housing, it quickly changed from a racially and economically diverse housing complex to a predominantly black, extremely poor ghetto. As it was left to rot, so to speak, Cabrini-Green harbored drug dealers, gangs and prostitution. It continued its downward spiral of despair until the mid 1990’s when the Federal Government assumed control the Chicago Housing Authority, the organization responsible for this abomination. Cabrini-Green has slowly been recovering from its dismal state of affairs recently, with developers building mixed-income and subsidized housing. The Chicago Housing Authority has also been demolishing the monolithic concrete high-rise slums, replacing them with public housing aimed at not repeating the mistakes of the past. Fortunately, a new era of public housing has dawned from the mistakes that were made, and the lessons that were learned from the things that went on for half a century in Cabrini-Green.
The city of Denison was named in tribute of George Denison, who brought the city into being (“Ancestors and Descendants”). Main Street started off as a wide dusty road filled with horses and buggies that gathered in front of old wooden saloons and business buildings. People dressed in attire of the 1880’s and Main Street was buzzing with people (see attachment 1). While Main Street and the town of Denison became known as a city of hooligans, the later establishment of local government helped put the city into existence (McLeRoy). During the 1880’s Main Street had a few firsts happen. The Security building located on Main Street was the tallest buildings in Texas at the time of its creation, and the Educational Institute was the first free graded public school in Texas (“Denison Texas First”). From 1910 to 1940 many events took place in the downtown, and Denison's Main Street had several well-liked hangouts. A specifically noteworthy establishment was Tony's Palm Garden, one of the most in style hangouts on Main Street. Anthony Giarraputo Sr. was the ingenious owner of the Palm Garden. He made candies, pastries, and he owned one of the first soda fountains in Denison. On ...
In the neighborhood I live is in the Koreatown / Wilshire Center and haven’t experience a lot of crime which is also part of the low crime rate in the neighborhood. Also the police presence here in my neighborhood is very light and the relations with the police is normal. The only time the police will be serious if the crime is too dangerous and concern for the neighborhood is first. It is also different from his description from the gang violence and presence in the area I live in is very light not like other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The difference is also the race in the area is different and comprised of mostly Asian and White which we are at a friendly relation with little to no disturbance of crime and gang violence. This also included poverty in the neighborhood I live in is very light and there is not a lot of poor people in the area. It also different the community which is very friendly and everyone is not that all cautious or worry. If there were a crime we will be notified ahead to be prepared of the concern of safety. From the description how Victor Rios described the neighborhood is almost similar to a few neighborhood of Los Angeles such as the East Los Angeles and the Compton area of Los Angeles. I had visited these area when I was riding the public transportation through these area to reach to the destination. I noticed that the area
... motivation for wealthy individuals to return to the inner-city core but it also provides impetus for commercial and retail mixed-use to follow, increasing local revenue for cities (Duany, 2001). Proponents of gentrification profess that this increase in municipal revenue from sales and property taxes allows for the funding of city improvements, in the form of job opportunities, improved schools and parks, retail markets and increased sense of security and safety ((Davidson (2009), Ellen & O’Reagan (2007), Formoso et. al (2010)). Due to the increase in housing and private rental prices and the general decrease of the affordable housing stock in gentrifying areas, financially-precarious communities such as the elderly, female-headed households, and blue-collar workers can no longer afford to live in newly developed spaces ((Schill & Nathan (1983), Atkinson, (2000)).
...up the pockets of poverty that crime will be eased. Breaking up pockets of poverty is a geographical project that is not an easy fix. In order to explore how the city ended up with these pockets of poverty, we must go back many decades and begin with racial segregation.
The arrival to Manhattan was like an entry to a whole new world: from the sea, its breezes, color, and landscapes, to the heart of the city beating louder than ever at the Whitehall Terminal. I could smell New York’s bagels in Battery Park with a mixture of the most relaxing scents: the coffee people were holding while walking down the streets, the old walls of Castle Clinton ...
1.WHAT MUST BE DONE TO CHANGE THE LIVING CONDITIONS IN INNER-CITY AND LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HELP GENERATE CRIME?
Furthermore, he attempts to dispel the negative aspects of gentrification by pointing out how some of them are nonexistent. To accomplish this, Turman exemplifies how gentrification could positively impact neighborhoods like Third Ward (a ‘dangerous’ neighborhood in Houston, Texas). Throughout the article, Turman provides copious examples of how gentrification can positively change urban communities, expressing that “gentrification can produce desirable effects upon a community such as a reduced crime rate, investment in the infrastructure of an area and increased economic activity in neighborhoods which gentrify”. Furthermore, he opportunistically uses the Third Ward as an example, which he describes as “the 15th most dangerous neighborhood in the country” and “synonymous with crime”, as an example of an area that could “need the change that gentrification provides”.
Scott, S. (2012). Mayoral Agenda: What To Do About Gang Violence. Weekend Edition Saturday (NPR).
...e that these three solutions can be a main source into helping those in need for desperate help financially. I also feel that these plans can be a major part in developing a better economy and society for the “slum” and middle class communities. It will uplift many neighborhoods and people and to show that we can do something about this problem. Instead of us sitting and looking at the problem getting worse, we have to attend to the problem at hand.
For one of my selections for buying stock, I invested into Starbucks, this company has attracted me with their wonders of different coffees, and I knew many others were interested in the very popular coffee company. Starbucks all started 1971 in Seattle Washington. With three men which were Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel and Gordon Bowker each of them put in one thousand three hundred and fifty dollars along with a barrowed five thousand from the bank to start up there small coffee shop in pick place market, witch is located in down town Seattle. The name for this company was inspired from the character Starbuck from Moby Dick; this character was a coffee lover. There close friend designed there well known logo. These men never thought of this small company to get large they just thought of it as a small coffee shop. Out of all three men Siegel was the only one that work at it full time. The men depened on a man named Alfred Peet for there coffee beans but soon then started there own blends of coffee beans. With in a year opening the first store they were able to open a second store. When the 1980’s rolled around, it was a thriving company, in the Seattle area. However, the co-founders began to have other interests and were involved in other careers simultaneously. Despite that, the company was about to undergo a major turning point. A man by the name of Howard Schultz started to pursue an interest in the company. He noticed that the coffee shop had a wonderful environment. He started asking a questions and becoming more and more interested by every moment. He loved how the founders had so much knowledge on the coffee and each blend. In 1982, Schultz became director of retail operation. This was just the start to a new phase with the company.
The problem however, with these “renewal projects” is that the implemented changes are never usually intended to benefit the long time inhabitants of these communities, these changes are intended usually, to push out the element of poverty that exists in many of these communities (which is a direct result of decades of neglect) in exchange for the opportunity to cater to a more affluent (usually less “ethnic”) demographic. In laymen’s terms, city planners, elected officials, prospective businesses, and even law enforcement, all converge for the purpose of removing poor people from an area by simply making it too pleasant and by exten...
Schultz, Howard, and Joanne Gordon. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. New York: Rodale, 2011. N. pag. Print.
The SWOT analysis is a useful tool for identifying our personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to our plans and goals. According to a “Fuel My Motivation” article (2010), this analysis considers internal influences that can positively or negatively affect our ability to achieve our goals. The internal factors are our strengths and weaknesses. Also considered are opportunities and threats, which are external influences that can have a positive or negative impact on the ability to achieve our goals. I will share how the self-assessment instruments and self-exercises in this course have contributed to assessing and understanding my strengths and weaknesses. I will also discuss techniques I will use to leverage my strengths and understand my weaknesses. In addition, I will consider opportunities that I can take advantage of and the threats that can possibly impede my progress.
test whatever it's a bad effect or not. So when it used on humans, we