Demographic Characteristics Of Communities Research Articles

Multi-vulnerability analysis for seismic risk management in historic city centres: an application to the historic city centre of La Serena, Chile

AbstractA comprehensive understanding of the elements at risk, through the identification of the main hazards, level of exposure and different dimensions of the vulnerability of the communities, is an essential step toward the definition and adoption of more effective risk reduction strategies. Historic urban centres have received special attention in the assessment of damage and physical vulnerability to earthquakes, but it is well known that vulnerability also depends on the social and demographic characteristics of communities. This paper discusses the application of a holistic approach aimed at assessing the seismic vulnerability of historic urban centres by considering their physical and social dimensions. Two index-based methodologies are presented, and the data are analyzed using the CENSUS block as the unit of study, which is scarcely present in the literature. The results of both indices are crossed through a matrix, which allows the classification of the blocks in five levels of priority and are mapped using a Geographic Information System tool. The Historic city centre of La Serena, one of the oldest in Chile, was selected as a case study. This historic city centre still preserves historic buildings of raw earth of diverse architectural typologies widely distributed throughout the country, which makes it relevant, not only by itself but as a model that can be replicated and extrapolated to other historic centres of similar constructive characteristics.

Access to public drinking water fountains in Berkeley, California: a geospatial analysis

BackgroundIn January 2015, Berkeley, California became the first city in the Unites States to impose a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. The tax is intended to discourage purchase of sugary beverages and promote consumption of healthier alternatives such as tap water. The goal of the study was to assess the condition of public drinking water fountains and determine if there is a difference in access to clean, functioning fountains based on race or socio-economic status.MethodsA mobile-GIS App was created to locate and collect data on existing drinking water fountains in Berkeley, CA. Demographic variables related to race and socio-economic status (SES) were acquired from the US Census – American Community Survey database. Disparities in access to, or condition of drinking water fountains relative to demographics was explored using spatial analyses. Spatial statistical-analysis was performed to estimate demographic characteristics of communities near the water fountains and logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between household median income or race and condition of fountain.ResultsAlthough most fountains were classified as functioning, some were dirty, clogged, or both dirty and clogged. No spatial relationships between demographic characteristics and fountain conditions were observed.DiscussionAll geo-located data and a series of maps were provided to the City of Berkeley and the public.ConclusionsThe geo-database created as an outcome of this study is useful for prioritizing maintenance of existing fountains and planning the locations of future fountains. The methodologies used for this study could be applied to a wide variety of asset inventory and assessment projects such as clinics or pharmaceutical dispensaries, both in developed and developing countries.

The relationships between community context and entry into a homeless shelter system

ABSTRACTThis study seeks to understand the likelihood of entering the homeless shelter system as reflected in differential levels of community capital, human service support features, and levels of criminal activity. This study used a sample of adults entering the City of Philadelphia-funded Emergency Housing System between February 2008 and January 2010. We linked former addresses to census block groups and constructed a rate of homeless system entrants per 1,000 residents in each block group. After regressing this measure on a series of demographic, socioeconomic, and other salient community characteristics, our preliminary results indicate that basic demographic characteristics of communities and the capacity of drug treatment centers provide predictive value regarding variations in rates of homelessness. We also conclude that both property and violent crime rates at the block group level are shown to be significantly associated with entrance into the homeless shelter system.

Facts about FEMA Household Disaster Aid: Examining the 2008 Floods and Tornadoes in Missouri

AbstractVery little empirical work has been done on disaster aid in the United States. This paper examines postdisaster grants to households from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the state of Missouri in 2008, when the state experienced flooding, storms, and tornadoes. The paper answers the following questions: What was the aid for? How much was given? How many people applied for aid? How many households received aid and how many were denied? Why were some applicants denied aid? Is there any relationship between aid received and socioeconomic or demographic characteristics of communities? The paper finds that the majority of aid grants are for very small amounts of money, on the order of a few thousand dollars. Over half of aid applications are denied, often because of ineligible or insufficient damage. The paper provides some important basic information on the nature of disaster grants to households and also generates several hypotheses for future research.

Institutional Collective Action and Economic Development Joint Ventures

There is high interest in economic development efforts involving cooperation or collaboration among metropolitan jurisdictions. To determine why some local governments engage in cooperative agreements while others do not, this paper investigates transaction obstacles, including bargaining, information, agency, enforcement, and division problems. The authors then advance an institutional collective action explanation for intergovernmental cooperation, focusing on the conditions under which these transactions costs are low. This work anticipates that the costs associated with interlocal cooperation are influenced by the demographic characteristics of communities, local political institutions, and the nature of regional government networks. Empirical analysis based on a national survey of local development officials provides support for several predictions from this model and identifies policy variables that, in turn, increase the prospects for cooperation, specifically through the development of informal policy networks.

Alcohol Availability and Neighborhood Characteristics in Los Angeles, California and Southern Louisiana

The objective of this study was to examine the associations between alcohol availability types and community characteristics in randomly selected census tracts in Southern California and Southeastern Louisiana. Outlet shelf space and price by beverage type was collected from all off-sale alcohol outlets in 189 census tracts by trained research personnel. Three aspects of alcohol availability at the census tract level were considered--outlets per roadway mile, shelf space, and least price by beverage type. Using multivariate analyses, we examined the associations between census tract socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and alcohol availability types. Fifteen measures of alcohol availability were calculated-total shelf space and shelf space by beverage types (beer, malt liquor, and distilled spirits); outlets per roadway mile, per tract, and per capita; and least price by beverage type (including wine). In multivariate analyses controlling for state, male unemployment rate was inversely associated with total shelf space (p = 0.03) and distilled spirit shelf space (p = 0.05). Malt liquor shelf space was inversely associated with percent White (p = 0.02). Outlets per roadway mile was positively associated with household poverty (p < 0.0001), whereas percent African American was inversely associated with outlets per roadway mile (p = 0.03). Beverage-specific least prices were not associated with any socioeconomic or demographic community characteristics. Alcohol availability types, but not least price, were associated with some community characteristics. More research exploring how alcohol availability types vary by community and their relationship to alcohol-related harms should be conducted.

The Relation between Demographic Characteristics of Communities and Supply of Welfare Services for Elders in Korea

The Relation between Demographic Characteristics of Communities and Supply of Welfare Services for Elders in Korea

Disadvantaged but different: variation among deprived communities in relation to child and family well‐being

Disadvantaged communities are increasingly the target for interventions. Sure Start was launched in England in 1999 to tackle child poverty and improve child and family services, with Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) targeted at relatively small areas of marked deprivation. However, they are located in a range of different types of communities where they may provide services to very different resident populations. They are all disadvantaged but underlying that label there are specific patterns of variability, relevant for service provision. To evaluate the implementation, impact, and cost-effectiveness of SSLPs, or other area-based initiatives, it is important to consider ways in which they can be grouped meaningfully according to these patterns. Data were collected from administrative databases to describe SSLPs in terms of demography, deprivation, and aspects of child and family functioning and grouped using cluster analysis. Five different 'types' of SSLP community were identified, based on their socio-demographic and economic characteristics; typified by more, less or average deprivation in relation to all SSLPs, and in terms of the proportion of ethnic minority families resident in the areas. The groups differ in terms of community measures of child health, educational attainment, school disorder and child welfare and their prediction from demographic community characteristics. The groupings have implications for service delivery and the evaluation of area-based initiatives.

The politics of environmental equity

The media have recently focused on the demographic characteristics of communities in which environmentally-sensitive facilities and land uses are sited. Does the placement of these generally unwelcome facilities reflect active discrimination against traditionally disempowered populations, uneven enforcement patterns, or a breakdown of democratic process?