Abstract
The introduction of mixed-income communities in public housing neighborhoods is a common revitalization strategy in metropolitan areas in North America. This study investigates student and teacher perspectives on safety in a Canadian inner city and marginalized neighborhood undergoing revitalization, alongside the redesign of a local school. The displacement of families and students, tied to housing relocation and student school mobility, resulted in increased concern around bullying, school safety, and displacement of place-based familiarity and social bonds. While most students felt safe at school, they were acutely aware of community level violence, criminal and gang activity in the neighborhood, and racial stereotyping. Students were also generally skeptical that revitalization would address the root causes of violence. The findings support the importance of including children’s voices when planning, implementing, and evaluating policy initiatives that directly affect their lives.
Highlights
Community safety is an important indicator of children’s well-being and healthy development (Ben-Arieh, McDonell, & Attar-Shwartz, 2009)
A prominent revitalization strategy employed in many metropolitan areas is the introduction of mixed-income communities in public housing neighborhoods that experience high levels of criminal activity (Tach, 2009)
While the majority of students did not report feeling unsafe on the premises of their school, most students did have something to say about safety within the school and/or in the community that related to ongoing neighborhood change
Summary
Community safety is an important indicator of children’s well-being and healthy development (Ben-Arieh, McDonell, & Attar-Shwartz, 2009). Research suggests that exposure to violence in the community can negatively affect children’s mental health outcomes (Galster & Santiago, 2006), physical health (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000), and academic performance (McCoy et al, 2013). In neighborhoods prone to high rates of violence, neighborhood revitalization, and transformation are frequently suggested to alter the social ecology of a community (Maton, 2000), and reduce the prevalence of violence. A prominent revitalization strategy employed in many metropolitan areas is the introduction of mixed-income communities in public housing neighborhoods that experience high levels of criminal activity (Tach, 2009). Given the significant negative effects of community violence on children’s social and psychological well-being (BenArieh et al, 2009), it is imperative to investigate children’s perspectives on school and community safety in redesigned neighborhoods
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