Urban Life in Local Neighborhood Essay Example for Free

Urban Life in Local Neighborhood Essay Community Board 3 of Manhattan is a part of Chinatown, covering the Lower East Side of the town. It is a largely diverse community, with variety of races, languages, culture, and customs protecting the uniqueness of the district. Today, economy remains to be a major concern. Portion of the population thrive on assistance, others are homeless, and most of what makes up the population are of immigrant status. The district was a foundation on mixed cultures through the many immigrants who settled in the area. This is not surprising though. It is a frontier to immigration, an entryway. Therefore, it is not surprising if immigrants would opt to stay. Population Then and Now The population of the community is in a constant rise. In 1980, the recorded population is 154, 848. With this figure as a base rate, there was a 4. 4% increase in 1990 where the population recorded increased to 161,617. In the turn of the millennium in 2000, Manhattan Community Board 3 is home to 164,407 people, a 1. 7% increase from the 1990 figure. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Between 2000 and 2004, an interesting tabulation of births, deaths, and infant mortality has been recorded. In 2000, 14. 1 (2,320) per 1000 are being born. The rate decreased in 2004 where there are only 13. 7 (2,255) births in every 1000. In terms of death, the statistics were not too far apart. There were 7. 9 deaths in every 1000 in 2000, while there were 7. 7 incidences per 1000 in 2004. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Alarmingly, infant mortality is on a rise. In 2004, there were eight incidences of infant mortality. This embodies 3. 4 in every 1000 infants. In 2004, there became 13 deaths. This shows that there are 5. 8 deaths for every 1000 infants in the area. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Neighborhood Amenities The community offers several income support to its constituents. In 2000, there were more than 8,000 aids given as public assistance. There were more than 5,000 last year. Medicaid use increased from 16,012 cases to a whopping 54,727. The income support of the community has helped 23. 4 of the total population in 2000. In 2006, 74,609 or 45. 4%, almost half of the population, received help. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) The community also features structural amenities for its constituents. It has about seven schools offering public education for elementary and secondary school students. There are more than 15 private and parochial schools for elementary and high school as well. There are also two college or post-secondary institutions. Apart from this education structures, the community also has libraries, museums, parks, playgrounds and other cultural spots. The community also enjoys hospital services, nursing homes, and other patient health services. Mental health institutions also exist in the community. The same goes with special treatment facility such as special children services and daycare services. Public safety is also not overlooked. Precincts, fire stations, narcotics unit, and battalion forces are available for the service of the people in Community District 3. Most especially, alcohol and drug abuse is being watched as the community knows that it can pose serious risks to the safety and interest of their people. Neighborhood changes Manhattan Community District 3 is a diverse community. Today, the community is undergoing a shift in its environment, dubbed as gentrification. As the community maintained a small locale atmosphere, many small establishments mostly owned by families have started closing down. They were replaced with bars and restaurants which were bigger or plainly just more commercialized. The changes in the environment still reap fruits. Nightlife has drastically increased, bringing jobs to many. (Manhattan Community District 3, nd) Neighborhood needs A primary problem in the community is homelessness. While prosperity is evident at some point, Manhattan Community Board 3 still is on the edge of everyday survival. As an example, many people were being displaced off their homes because the rents were becoming to high to afford. Alcohol is also fast becoming a problem. As more people get chances of frolicking, more establishments are acquiring licenses to sell alcoholic drinks. On the other hand, licensing is not strictly monitored. (District needs, n. d. ) Residential spaces are also fast becoming commercialized. Thus, the community needs stricter zoning monitoring and regulations. In effect, the authorities should also protect the smaller economy. The community also needs better transport system. Bus and subway systems of the community are pathetic. Traffic itself is bad with illegal parkings, sidewalk disturbances and reroutings. Sanitation is likewise unacceptable at some point as there is no real comprehensive recycling program in the area. (District needs, n. d. ) References Manhattan community district 3.. n. d. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://nyc. gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/mn3profile. pdf District needs. n. d. Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://www. nyc. gov/html/mancb3/html/district/needs. shtml