Chicago Neighborhoods Research Articles

Did Playground Renovations Equitably Benefit Neighborhoods in Chicago?

Between 2013 and 2016, the Chicago Park District renovated 327 playgrounds in need of repair across Chicago through a $44 million investment. This study evaluated whether short-term and longer-term impacts of renovations on park use and park-based moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) differed by neighborhood income level and neighborhood concentration of Black residents. A total of 39 parks with renovated playgrounds and 39 matched comparison parks with playgrounds that needed repair but not selected for renovation in year 1 were studied. Three waves of observational data were collected at each park: baseline, 12months post-renovation, and 24months post-renovation. Difference-in-differences mixed-effects Poisson regression models estimated renovation effects. The effects of renovations differed by the income level and concentration of Black residents in the neighborhoods where parks were located. In low-income neighborhoods, renovations were associated with reductions in park use and park-based MVPA over the longer term. In contrast, renovations were associated with short- and longer-term increases in park use and park-based MVPA in medium-income neighborhoods and with longer-term increases in MVPA in high-income neighborhoods. Renovations were generally not associated with any changes in park use or park-based MVPA in high-percent Black neighborhoods, but they were associated with increased park use and park-based MVPA in low-percent Black neighborhoods. This study suggests playground renovations in Chicago may have had unintended consequences, increasing neighborhood income and racial disparities in park use and park-based MVPA. Future playground renovation efforts may need to allocate more resources for renovating the broader park where in disrepair, more intensely involve neighborhood residents, and employ complementary strategies such as additional park programming to ensure renovations benefit all neighborhoods.

Brian Turnbull Robson, 1939–2020

Brian Turnbull Robson, 1939–2020

Images of Women on Social Media: A Comparison of Four Diverse Chicago Neighborhoods

With the growing pervasiveness of social media in our daily lives has come a recognition that these platforms have an influence over societal standards. The way women are represented on social medi...

Social Media Representations of Law Enforcement within Four Diverse Chicago Neighborhoods

The perception of excessive use of force by law enforcement towards minorities has become an increasing focus of attention in the national media and public consciousness. With greater ability to record conflicts using smartphones and dissemination of videos via social media, the public may more readily judge the circumstances of law enforcement interactions. The purpose of this study was (a) to understand the general sentiment about law enforcement on social media among communities of color in Chicago, (b) to see if local or national incidents of police conflicts with people of color were mentioned, and (c) identify key themes within these social media posts. Publicly available social media posts were collected from four ethnically and socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago. Using a five-person team and keyword searches, the posts were reviewed for content and abstracted if they pertained to law enforcement. They were then analyzed in stages of open, axial, and selective coding methods. Eight main themes were identified. These included the following: (a) law enforcement participation in the community, (b) law enforcement activity in the neighborhood, (c) posts regarding criminal activity, (d) immigration, (e) political protests against police, (f) African American men and law enforcement, (g) sympathy with Sandra Bland case, and (h) #Blacklivesmatter. There appears to be chasm of trust between law enforcement and communities of color. Our findings may help inform law enforcement, public policy-makers, and social workers in their efforts to better address these issues and to institute policies and interventions that not only bridge this gap but also strengthen and empower these communities.

Latina Mothers’ Awareness of Their Children’s Exposure to Community Violence

This study examines (a) the degree of agreement between mother-reported child community violence exposure and children’s self-reports and whether agreement changes over time; (b) whether child gender is associated with mother-child agreement; and (c) whether greater mother-child agreement is concurrently and longitudinally associated with children’s psychological well-being. We conducted secondary data analyses using longitudinal data with a socioeconomically diverse sample of 287 Latino adolescents ( MageW2= 11.2, 47% girls) and their mothers ( MageW1= 35.3) from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Mother-child agreement about nonexposure to violence was high. However, for violence-exposed children, mothers overestimated exposure in early adolescence and underestimated it in middle adolescence. Mothers had higher violence agreement scores with daughters than with sons. Greater mother-child agreement about witnessing community violence in early adolescence was associated with lower externalizing problems in early and middle adolescence. Agreement about children’s victimization was only concurrently associated with lower externalizing and internalizing behaviors in early adolescence. Developmental changes in adolescent disclosure and parental knowledge of children’s community violence may provide an important point of intervention for addressing the psychological sequelae of violence exposure in early adolescence.

Examining and Expanding Latinx General Strain Theory

Since the initial articulation of general strain theory (GST), Agnew has suggested strains may function differently—in type, response, and impact—for different groups. We build upon Pérez and colleagues’ foundational arguments for a Latinx GST by investigating the role of the ethnically specific strains they propose in addition to other strains argued to disproportionately impact people of Color. Furthermore, we examine the protective role of positive ethnic identity against the negative effects of strainful experiences for Latinxs. Using a sample of Latinx youth from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, we highlight not only the unique strains faced by Latinxs in America, but how they distinctly experience and respond to criminogenic strains.

Safe Spaces Embedded in Dangerous Contexts: How Chicago Youth Navigate Daily Life and Demonstrate Resilience in High-Crime Neighborhoods.

Much is known about how experiences of community violence negatively affect youth, but far less research has explored how youth remain resilient while living in dangerous neighborhoods. This study addresses this need by analyzing in-depth, geo-narrative interviews conducted with 15 youth (60% Black, 27% Latinx, 53% female, 14 to 17years old) residing in low-income, high-crime Chicago neighborhoods to explore youths' perceptions of safety and strategies for navigating neighborhood space. After carrying geographical positioning system (GPS) trackers for an eight-day period, youths' travel patterns were mapped, and these maps were used as part of an interview with youth that explored daily routines, with special consideration paid to where and when youth felt safe. Drawing on activity settings theory and exploring youth voice, we find that experiences of community violence are commonplace, but youth describe how they have safe spaces that are embedded within these dangerous contexts. Perceptions of safety and danger were related to environmental, social, and temporal cues. Youth reported four overarching safety strategies, including avoidance, hypervigilance, self-defense, and emotional management, but these strategies considerably varied by gender. We discuss implications for practice and future directions of research. HIGHLIGHTS: This study explored Chicago youths' safety strategies and resilience in high-crime neighborhoods. Safe and dangerous spaces are embedded or overlapping settings. All youth practiced safety strategies but they considerably varied by gender. Perceptions are intersubjectively created due to the codes, rules, and norms of community life. Violence is common and extreme in everyday life of this sample of Chicago adolescents.

Abstract C011: The effects of a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention on quality of life in African-American breast cancer survivors

Abstract Background. African-American Breast Cancer survivors (AABCS) report long-term challenges with weight gain, symptom burden, fatigue and overall physical and mental quality of life (QOL) following breast cancer treatment. Lifestyle interventions supporting weight loss, improved diet and physical activity patterns document reduced symptom burden and fatigue, and improved QOL. Most studies, however, do not include diverse samples. The Moving Forward randomized trial examined the effects of a weight loss intervention among 246 AABCS on multiple outcomes including quality of life. We will also examine correlates associated with improved QOL. Methods: 246 AABCS were randomized to either a 6-month interventionist-guided (IG) or self-guided (SG) program. The IG-program included twice weekly classes with supervised exercise that addressed strategies to improve diet, be more active and lose weight. Participants also received bi-weekly supportive text messages. This program was held in partnership with the Chicago Park District in eight predominately AA Chicago neighborhoods. The SG-program received a program binder with the same information offered in the IG group. Measures were collected at baseline, 6-mos and 12mos and included: PROMIS-10 QOL, the Brief Fatigue Inventory, Results: Women in the IG group (n=125) lost significantly more weight than those in the SG (n=121) group (-3.49kgs vs -1.27kgs, p<0.0001) and % weight loss (3.6% vs 1.4%, p=0.001) at 6 mos. Post-intervention, PROMIS scores were significantly higher than those in the SG group (n=101) for the mental (p=0.024) and physical (p=0.016) scales. The magnitude of improvement from baseline to 6 months for both mental (p=0.006) and physical health scores (p<0.001) was also significantly higher in the IG group. At 12 months there were no longer significant difference between groups, however the change from baseline remained higher for the IG group for mental (p=0.067) and physical measures (p=0.004). IG also reported lower fatigue post-intervention (p<0.0001) compared to SG. Conclusions: This study suggests that a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention can improve physical and mental quality of life and proposes that these improvements can be maintained beyond the intervention period. Additional analyses will explore potential correlates of QOL improvements including weight loss, self-efficacy and social support. Citation Format: Lola Awoyinka, Lisa Sharp, Alexis Visotcky, Anjishnu Banerjee, Patricia Sheean, Melinda Stolley. The effects of a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention on quality of life in African-American breast cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C011.

Perceptions of danger, tolerance of delinquency, and economic disadvantage: Examining neighborhood influences on child physical abuse

BackgroundSocial disorganization theory posits that both structural and social features of a particular geographic unit are associated with criminal behavior. Despite many tests of social disorganization theory, few studies have assessed its relevance to child abuse. ObjectiveThis study seeks to explain neighborhood variation in child maltreatment. The goal of the current study is to fill this gap by investigating whether or not child physical abuse is related to neighborhood economic disadvantage, perceptions of the dangerousness of the neighborhood, and norms regarding delinquency. Participants and SettingData were drawn from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) and included 2364 respondents from 79 neighborhoods. The dependent variable, the variety or number of acts of severe child physical abuse, was reported by caregivers, while neighborhood characteristics were based on information from the U.S. Census Data and adult respondents living in Chicago neighborhoods. MethodsA multilevel, over-dispersed, Poisson regression models were utilized to predict the variety of acts of severe physical abuse that a child living within a given neighborhood would experience. ResultsNeighborhood economic disadvantage was not significantly associated with greater variety of physical abuse. However, neighborhoods perceived as dangerous had greater variety of physical abuse (b = .25, p < .05), while those with a greater tolerance for deviance had somewhat lower variety of physical abuse (b= −.69, p ≤ .10). ConclusionsThese results suggest that some contextual factors may help explain child maltreatment and should be subject to additional research.

Can We Bring Culture into the Large-Scale Study of Gentrification? Assessing the Possibilities Using Geodemographic Marketing Data

Despite advances in quantitative methodology, many quantitative gentrification scholars rely on under-theorized and speculative presumptions about who gentrifiers are. This study uses Claritas Potential Rating Index for Zip Marketers (PRIZM), a geodemographic marketing data source on the lifestyles and consumer habits of U.S. households, to augment a Census-based analysis of Chicago neighborhoods that gentrified from 2000 to 2017. PRIZM data reveal that the households moving into gentrified neighborhoods represent a range of lifestyles, calling into question the attribution of “gentrifier” to any particular social group or demographic category. In some cases, despite having the same social class positions, gentrifiers pursue varying interests, suggesting they have different effects on neighborhoods. Once lifestyle is accounted for, many assumptions about gentrifiers on which quantitative studies are built become inadequate. The article’s conclusion not only proposes ways in which scholars can integrate geodemographic marketing data into future gentrification research, but it also outlines reasons to be cautious when using the data.

The Relationship Between the Development of General Offending and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration in Young Adulthood.

This study examined how patterns in general offending relate to the occurrence of and likelihood of persistence in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in young adulthood. The study used longitudinal data from the cohort of 18 year olds from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods study. Self-reported offending was measured in all three waves, and data on IPV were collected in Waves 1 and 3. Group-based trajectory modeling identified three distinct general offending trajectory groups: non-offenders, low-rate offenders, and high-rate offenders. The majority of respondents engaged in psychological IPV perpetration, and half of all young adults reported physical IPV, but prevalence rates decreased over the waves. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that those involved in offending, especially those who showed a diverse offending pattern, were at increased risk of perpetrating psychological and (severe) physical IPV, as well as to show persistence in the different forms of IPV perpetration. The findings highlight an important overlap between general crime and IPV perpetration. In recognition that IPV is often part of a broader pattern of antisocial behavior, interventions should focus on interrupting the criminal careers of all young offenders to reduce the prevalence and harms of IPV.

Lessons and current Challenges for Urban Sociologists. A Conversation with Robert J. Sampson

In this interview, Robert J. Sampson discusses main lessons and current challenges for urban sociologists, starting from his personal experience and perspective. The interview recaps his important works on factors and events that can determine criminal behavior, the important Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, that he led with his innovative theories and empirical results on violence, race and ethnic segregation, inequality, order and disorder in urban environments, and the shifting structure of community network. The interview also reflects on the process and encounters that led him to the formulation of a theory of race, crime and urban inequality with William J. Wilson (1995). Our discussion spanned over areas of research interests of Professor Sampson, including crime, disorder, life course, civic engagement, inequality, ecometrics, and the social structure of the city, with particular attention to neighborhood effects. Finally, the interview deals with current challenges for urban sociologists, focusing on two main problems: poor quality of data and limit of funding.

Neighborhood climates of legal cynicism and complaints about abuse of police power†

AbstractResearch findings show that legal cynicism—a cultural frame in which skepticism about laws, the legal system, and police is expressed—is important in understanding neighborhood variation in engagement with the police, particularly in racially isolated African American communities. We argue that legal cynicism is also useful for understanding neighborhood variation in complaints about police misconduct. Using data on complaints filed in Chicago between 2012 and 2014, we show that grievances disproportionately came from racially segregated neighborhoods and that a measure of legal cynicism from the mid‐1990s predicts complaints about abuse of police power two decades later. The association between legal cynicism and complaints is net of prior complaints, reported crime, imprisonment, and other structural factors that contribute to the frequency and nature of interactions involving police and residents. Legal cynicism also mediates the influence of racially isolated neighborhoods on complaints. The mid‐1990s is the approximate midpoint of a half‐century of police scandals in Chicago. Our research findings suggest that contemporary complaints about police misconduct in highly segregated Chicago neighborhoods are grounded in collectively shared historical memories of police malfeasance. They also suggest that persistent complaints about police misconduct may represent officially memorialized expressions of enduring racial protest against police abuse of power.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury as a Predictor of Classes of Youth Internalizing and Externalizing Psychopathology.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a developing public health problem. Evidence suggests that youth who suffer a mTBI experience worse outcomes than similar adults. However, the structure of long-term symptoms associated with mTBI is not well understood. The current study aims to determine if classes of youth psychopathology can be predicted by mTBI status. The current study analyzed a large sample of children and adolescents from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (n = 2978) to examine trajectories of psychopathologies. Using data from the Achenbach Childhood Behavior Checklist, latent classes of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were identified. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine if mTBI predicted class membership, while controlling for a number of variables associated with psychopathology. The results of the current study suggest that mTBI may be an important transdiagnostic risk factor associated with developmental patterns of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology.

Non-Hispanic White Women's Exposure to Decreased Neighborhood Income and Small for Gestational Age Births: A Population-Based Study.

The relationship between non-Hispanic White (NHW) women's decreased neighborhood income between early-life and adulthood, individual risk-status at delivery, and small for gestational age (weight for gestation < 10th percentile, SGA) rates is unknown. To determine the extent to which NHW women's exposure to decreased neighborhood income is a risk factor for SGA births, and whether their own birth weight modifies this relationship. Stratified and multilevel logistic regression analyses were executed on the Illinois transgenerational dataset of mothers (born 1956-1976) and their infants (born 1989-1991) with appended U.S. census income information. Only NHW women with an early-life residence in top income quartile Chicago neighborhoods were studied. NHW women (n = 4889) unexposed to decreased neighborhood income between early-life and adulthood had an SGA rate of 7.1%. In contrast, NHW women exposed to slightly (n = 5112), modestly (n = 2158), or severely (n = 339) decreased neighborhood income by the time of delivery had SGA rates of 8.2%, 10.8%, and 10.8%, respectively; RR (95% CI) equaled 1.2 (1.0-1.3), 1.5 (1.3-1.8) and 1.5 (1.1-2.1), respectively. The relationship between maternal exposure to modestly decreased neighborhood income and SGA rates was present only among former non-low birth weight (> 2500g, non-LBW) mothers. In multilevel logistic regression models, the adjusted (controlling for age, parity, prenatal care usage, and cigarette smoking) OR of SGA birth for former low birth weight (< 2500g, LBW) and non-LBW NHW women exposed to modestly (compared to no) decreased neighborhood income equaled 0.7 (0.4, 1.4) and 1.3 (1.1-1.6), respectively. NHW women's exposure to modestly decreased neighborhood income is associated with an increased risk of SGA birth; this phenomenon is absent among former low birth weight women.

#PrEP4Love: success and stigma following release of the first sex-positive PrEP public health campaign

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective yet under-utilised method for preventing HIV transmission in high-risk groups. Despite ongoing social marketing to increase PrEP awareness, few studies have evaluated public responses. This paper contextualises negative responses to Chicago’s PrEP4Love campaign. In February 2016, a sex-positive ad campaign called PrEP4Love was launched online and throughout public spaces in Chicago. A gender and sexuality inclusive campaign, PrEP4Love is intended to be culturally responsive and sex positive, while retaining a focus on risk reduction. Advertisements prominently feature Black sexual minority men, and Black transgender women, and were strategically placed in diverse Chicago neighbourhoods. In response, there were 212 new callers to the PrEPLine during the two-month study period. Negative responses were concerned with: negatively depicting Black homosexuality (4), general anti-LGBTQ comments (7), adverse effects on children (6), sexually explicit nature (5), and general stigmatisation of racial minorities (4). Discussion focuses on sex-positive frameworks, normalising intimacy, stigma and historical mistrust of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, and the social meanings of biomedical prevention technologies (e.g. PrEP) in relation to dominant norms of sexuality and gender. This study is the first to investigate public responses to a sex-positive PrEP campaign. More studies of PrEP social marketing are needed to evaluate targeted public health campaigns to guide future PrEP promotion strategies.

Walkability Safety and Walkability Participation: A Health Concern.

Walking is correlated with both improved physical and emotional health. However, walking behavior is often heavily influenced by environmental conditions. The goal of this study was to examine actual and perceived walkability safety and the relationship between perceived walkability safety and self-rated levels of walkability participation, defined as the number of places one walks within the community on a regular basis. Researchers used a mixed-methods approach, combining direct observations of traffic safety and in-person surveys within a specific Chicago neighborhood from 2015 to 2016 and from 2016 to 2017, respectively. We conducted behavioral assessments on 25 intersections and 48 sidewalks and surveyed 96 pedestrians on perceived walkability safety and walkability participation. Findings showed 68% and 81% of vehicles in 2015 and 2016, respectively did not obey street signs, placing pedestrians at significant risk. Pedestrians expressed concerns about the safety of walking in their neighborhood yet walked to a median of eight places weekly. The results indicated a marginally significant positive relationship between self-reported community participation and walking habits, as well as relationships between various factors of perceived walkability and age, gender, or language of survey completion. It is clear from the results of this study that walkability in this community is not a safe activity. However, walking habits may also be influenced by community satisfaction and SES factors. Communities need to engage in safe driving campaigns and educate walkers on how to protect themselves from distracted drivers. Local governments should implement policy initiatives such as police enforcement and drivers' education campaigns.

Street Light Outages, Public Safety and Crime Displacement: Evidence from Chicago

For more than one hundred years, street lighting has been one of the most enduring capital investments to maintain public safety. In this study we provide a comprehensive examination of the effect of street lights on crime, by estimating the effect of nearly 300,000 street light outages in Chicago neighborhoods on crime. We find that outdoor nighttime crimes change very little on street segments affected by street light outages, but that crime appears to spillover to nearby street segments during these outages. These findings suggest that crime may follow patterns of human activity and that the impact of localized street light outages can reverberate throughout a community.

Mexican American Urban Youth Perspectives on Neighborhood Stressors, Psychosocial Difficulties, and Coping: En Sus Propias Palabras

Many Mexican American families are immigrants who reside in under-resourced, urban communities, where they are at risk for numerous stressors, ranging from poverty to community violence. This paper analyzed qualitative data from Mexican American urban youth to explore their perspectives on neighborhood stressors, psychosocial difficulties and coping. A community-based participatory research approach was used with Mexican American youth from a Chicago neighborhood to explore personally salient experiences of living in their community. In collaboration with a community organization serving this neighborhood, 32 youth ranging from ages 12–18 with differing risk levels for violence and resilience participated in focus group sessions. Participants were asked about and discussed a wide range of topics covering (a) neighborhood characteristics and experiences; (b) psychosocial functioning and youth empowerment; (c) connection to school and community; and (d) family and cultural experiences. Based on content analyses, three themes emerged related to stress (i.e., violence, gangs and the police, poverty) and coping strategies (i.e., avoidant, aggressive, and active coping). While pervasive stress appeared consistent across all groups, coping styles and psychological sequelae varied across the youth. The study demonstrates the importance of incorporating culturally relevant strategies, such as reframing, support seeking, and engaging familism, when developing interventions for use in this population. Furthermore, maximizing social supports by providing access to appropriate mentors and supportive peers should be a focus of educational programming and intervention with these youth. Finally, the authors offer a discussion of how these results might inform future community-based research.

Social organization and homicide rates in Chicago neighborhoods: the role of structural stability and change

ABSTRACT A life-course perspective on neighborhood effects suggests that levels of and changes in neighborhood structural conditions may impact neighborhood social organization, collective efficacy, and reciprocated exchange, with implications for changes in homicide rates. Results indicate changes in neighborhood disadvantage – though not in immigrant concentration or residential stability – disrupt both reciprocated exchange and collective efficacy. However, neither mechanism appears to mediate the change-homicide relationship, nor do the two mediators significantly interact in their association with homicide rates. Findings suggest both contemporary and historical neighborhood disadvantage is significantly related to homicide rates, supporting a dynamic view of the links between conditions, social mediators, and homicide.