Cherry Hill Community, Baltimore, MD Action Plan
-According to theU.S. Census Bureau, between 1990 and 1998, Baltimore ranked 2nd among the nation’s major cities in population loss. Since its historic census peak in 1950, the City has lost a 3rd of its population, about 300,000 people.
-According toBaltimore Economic Digest Population and business flight from Baltimore has undermined the tax base leaving the City with a $153 million revenue shortfall over the next four years to find municipal services.
-Baltimore was recently ranked 6th among 207 of U,S, largest cities for homicide rate, and 12th for its overall violent crime rate. – FBI 2007
So, Baltimore is considered one of U.S. poorest and most rapidly declining cities. You have been asked to chair the Mayor’s Economic Revitalization Board, which has been assigned the task of developing an action plan to help revitalize the poorest neighborhoods of the city.
1.Cherry Hill community or neighborhood wit in Baltimore City is the neighborhood identified for your taskforce will target. Using the link below, census data, official crime statistics, neighborhood alliance information, etc.
1.Describe the physical and social structure of Cherry Hill community (e.g., crime rate: general and specific types of crimes, social economic status/median income of households, proportion employed, proportion owned-based residences, # of vacant houses, educational background of residents, average age of residents proportion of youth, proportion of single-headed household, etc.) Description should include narrative and table/graphs. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE
2.Using the data you presented, discuss why you believe CHERRY HILL Community may be classified as ‘Socially Disorganized.’ Briefly summarize the theory (its key concepts and hypothesis) and then give specific examples of ALL of the exogenous and endogenous variables outlined in Sampson & Groves’ model you see present in Cherry Hill Community.
3.Using the principles of social disorganization theory, develop TWO community-based programs that target at least two of the social problems highlighted in the profile above, that would help improve the community’s level of organization, and thereby help lower its crime problem (either directly or indirectly). The First program MUST be design so it could produce results in the short-term (in 2 years), the second programMUST be designed to produce change in the long-term (10 years).
RECOMMENDATION: Choose existing programs that have been empirically validated, and adapt them to meet the needs of CHERRY HILL Community.
4.I the discussion of the two programs, be sure to provide a thorough description of EACH program ( where/why was the program originally created , who does the program target, what are its goals, what are some examples of the activities it will include, how effective has it been in the past) and clearly explain how each program is consistent with the principles of SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION THEORY (e.g.,which of the model’s exogenous and /or endogenous variables does each program target).Bothprograms MUST be realistic, meaning, they MUST be both financially reasonable and internally logical (consistent with laws and social structure).
http://www.areavibes.com/baltimore-md/cherry+hill/livability/
Use the above link, click neighborhood, scroll to bottom and select CHERRY HILL.
Locate the article written by Robert J. Sampson and W. Byron Groves title Community Structure and Crime: Testing Social – Disorganization Theory
Source: American Journal Sociology, Vol. 94, No.4 (Jan., 1989), pp.774-802
Stable URL; http://www.jstor.org/stable/2780858
and follow the instructions on the question sheet.
ONLY USE THIS ARTICLE