Overview
Mapping/Spatial Analysis SAMPLESSAMPLE SPATIAL ANALYSIS PAPER #1
- West Hills, CA 91307
Los Angeles County
(Current neighborhood) [GOOGLE STREETS SCREENSHOT]
- Richmond, CA 94801
Contra Costa County
(Different neighborhood) [GOOGLE STREETS SCREENSHOT]
- I expect that West Hills is occupied by predominantly middle-upper and middle-class families with higher median family incomes and higher homeownership rates as compared to Richmond because West Hills is more likely to be Non-Hispanic White and have higher educational attainment as compared to Richmond. As such, race and education are significant determinants of income and wealth.
Table 1. Characteristics for Select Neighborhoods, 2019 | ||
Your Neighborhood | Other Neighborhood | |
Variable | (West Hills, CA 91307) | (Richmond, CA 94801) |
% Non-Hispanic White | 82.22% | 44.54% |
% Black | 1.39% | 16.52% |
% Asian | 11.72% | 8.98% |
% Hispanic/Latino | 6.64% | 64.55% |
% Foreign Born (plurality) | 25.18% | 43.43% |
Median Household Income ($) | $124,276 | $50,313 |
% at least a B.A. Degree | 58.88% | 11.33% |
% less than 18 years old | 24.42% | 34.38% |
% more than 65 years old | 12.47% | 5.99% |
Median Home Value ($) | $768,600 | $293,400 |
% Home Ownership | 90.66% | 38.14% |
% Single Parent Family | 7% | 28.41% |
School Proficiency Index | 83 | 1 |
Overall Social Vulnerability | Low | High |
Diversity Index | 39.28% | 54.35 |
Life Expectancy at birth | 83.6 | 77.1 |
Fast Food Restaurant (county) | 76.49 | 63.96 |
Violent Crime (city 2000) | 764.08 | 915.13 |
Source: Policy Map, 2019 Estimates |
5. a) Demographically, there is a major difference between the two cities. West Hills being predominantly white with 82.22%, whereas Richmond is more ethnically diverse (more minorities mixed together than just having a vast majority of one “race”). What’s interesting to look at is the white population in Richmond is also high, 44.54%, regarding the other races/ethnicities. This might be due to having some Latino or Hispanic people or other ethnicities putting on the census that they’re white because of the lack of options on the census. There is also a major difference in the Latino population in both cities, where West Hills only has 6.64%, compared to 64.55% in Richmond. Economically, there is a strong contrast between the two cities. The median household income in West Hills, $124,276, is greater than that in Richmond, $50,313. The median home value in West Hills is nearly 3 times the value of the median home value in Richmond, $768,600 vs. $293,400. The home ownership rates in West Hills, 90.66%, are drastically higher than the rate in Richmond, 38.14%. Overall, there is a large distinction between the two cities.
b) I found that West Hills is less ethnically diverse than Richmond. The diversity index of West Hills is 39.28%, whereas Richmond is 54.35%. The diversity index is supposed to represent that at what percentage if you picked random people that they would be from a different race or ethnic group. Because West Hills is primarily White, with 82.22% than 44.54%, they would be “more successful” than Richmond in regards with education, which they do because the school proficiency index in West Hills is extremely high compared to Richmond (83 vs. 1). Regarding the variables of my choice, life expectancy, fast food restaurants and violent crime, they all indicate several things. For life expectancy, West Hills has a higher life expectancy rate than Richmond, which can be because it can be due to the fact that West Hills has a low social vulnerability factor than Richmond, or the fact that West Hills has a higher median income than Richmond ($124,276 vs. $50,313) and therefore can afford to go to the doctor more and get more urgent care when needed. For the variable fast food restaurant, since it’s based on the county rather than the city, it shows that Los Angeles county (76.49) has more access to fast food restaurants than Contra Costa county (63.96). The variable violent crime represents the rate of violent crimes reported per 100,000 people. In Los Angeles, the violent crime rate (764.08) is lower than that of Richmond (915.13). This shows that more violent crimes happen more in Richmond than in Los Angeles, including West Hills since it is apart the city of Los Angeles.
c.) Revisiting my hypothesis, most of my empirical results support my hypothesis. In the beginning of my hypothesis, I said that West Hills is within the middle-upper middle-class family range who are also overwhelmingly white. In my results, I found that West Hills ($124,276) has a higher median household income than Richmond ($50,313) and that West Hills is predominantly “white” (82.22%). I also said that due to West Hills having a high population of “white” people, that the rate of at least a bachelor’s degree would be higher than it is in Richmond, which it is. The percentage in West Hills who has at least a B.A degree is 58.88% compared to that of 11.33% in Richmond. The only part of my hypothesis that my empirical results don’t support my hypothesis is that West Hills has a higher life expectancy BECAUSE of a higher access of fast food restaurants in the area. I found that Contra Costa county, has a lower rate of access to fast food restaurants (63.96) than Los Angeles county (76.49).
6. a.) What stands out to me looking at these two neighborhoods and cities is how big of a gap the school proficiency index is. And what I can connect to these two cities and neighborhoods is the achievement gap, which is the “disparate educational outcomes of whites, Asians, blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans” (Golash-Boza 2017). Because Richmond is more diverse, primarily more Latino population, and is considered more “poor” than West Hills, they are under-served and under-privileged in having educational equity. West Hills is considered more of a “desirable” area because it is more suburban than Richmond, and due to the median household income and the school proficiency index, that they have more resources for their students to be more successful, than neighborhoods in Richmond, who are likely to be underfunded. Another concept that I can apply to these neighborhoods is the wealth inequality that persists throughout society. When we look at which group of people typically has more wealth than anyone else, they are white. West Hills is whiter than any other racial group. Because West Hills is also more of a suburban city, there are more “richer” individuals living there, hence due to the higher household median income and higher median home value than Richmond. Wealth inequality is due in part of many systemic racisms that make it harder for those who are not considered white to accumulate wealth.
b.) There are no redlining patterns found.
c.) As a society, people always look at race and ethnicity as the most important factors when looking or thinking about a neighborhood and the urban geography. If someone is describing an area that is mostly Latino and/or black, we would have the assumption that they are talking about what is considered a “ghetto” or is considered “ghetto” or a bad area with crime. However, if that same person was talking about an area that is mostly white, that individual would have an idea that the area is super nice and possibly rich looking, etc. There is always a connection to certain characteristics of a neighborhood with what type of race or ethnicity, just as people stereotype individuals for who or what they are based on what we’ve seen or heard about those types of individuals. There needs to be a change in the way we look at neighborhoods just off race and ethnicity because there are more factors that need to be looked at, like why is the median household income lower than this city? Is it because they aren’t getting those opportunities that they worked hard for that pays well due to their race or is it because the area/city have enough money to fully fund and get the resources that their residents need? Society doesn’t look at the bigger picture in what’s the actual problem with neighborhoods and why it’s characterized as bad, as society only looks at skin color and characterize them that way.
References
Textbook reference
SPATIAL ANALYSIS SAMPLE PAPER #2
- Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Los Angeles County
Current Neighborhood [GOOGLE STREETS SCREENSHOT]
- Canoga Park, CA 91304
Los Angeles County
Different Neighborhood in Hometown [GOOGLE STREETS SCREENSHOT]
- I expect to find that Woodland Hills is more likely to have higher income residents and higher home values compared to Canoga Park because Woodland Hills has a higher percentage of Non-Hispanic Whites and higher homeownership rates as compared to Canoga Park. In this way, race is significant determinants of income and wealth.
4. Table 1. Characteristics for Select Neighborhoods, 2019 | ||
Your Neighborhood | Other Neighborhood | |
Variable | (City) | (City) |
% Non-Hispanic White | 82.74% | 47.72% |
% Black | 4.89% | 5.56% |
% Asian | 6.24% | 17.23% |
% Hispanic/Latino | 10.98% | 47% |
% Foreign Born (plurality) | 28.26% | 45.9% |
Median Household Income ($) | $119,511 | $55,274 |
% at least B.A. Degree | 53.52% | 20.28% |
% less than 18 years old | 15.77% | 23% |
% more than 65 years old | 21.71% | 16.62% |
Median Home Value ($) | $812,000 | $224,000 |
% Home Ownership | 84.32% | 54.48% |
School Proficiency Index | 86 | 27 |
Source: Policy Map, 2019 Estimates |
- The city in my hometown of Woodland Hills and the other city (Canoga Park) which I chose to analyze differ significantly in their statistical data and makeup. Both cities are in the west valley and are not a far drive from one another. But driving through the streets it will be noticed that the cities are different. One can observe this difference in the options of food choices provided. There are many more upper end supermarkets in Woodland Hills (Gelsons, Whole Foods, Bristol Farms) then there are in Canoga Park. The reason behind this is because there is much more wealth in Woodland Hills measured by an annual household income of $119,511 as opposed to that of Canoga Park with an annual household income of $55,274. Woodland Hills has a bit over more than double the income of Canoga Park. With Median Home Values also dramatically higher at $812,000 verses $224,000. There is a dramatic difference in home values. Those who own homes in Woodland Hills also account for 84.32% of residents as opposed to those in Canoga Park who own homes which account for 54.48% of its residents.
With these pretty significant differences it is important to look into factors which may lead to these values such as education attained, age of residents, and other factors such as nationality and race which can lead in oppression and or upward mobility of those living in the specific cities. The percentage of Woodland Hills residents holding at least a BA degree is 53.52% whereas Canoga Park has less than half of that number (20.28%). Additionally, most of the residents of Woodland Hills who are Non-Hispanic White (82.74%) were born in the United States (with 28.26% foreign born) as opposed to Non-Hispanic White (47.72%) residents of Canoga whom 45.9% were born elsewhere. About half of residents (47%) of Canoga Park are Hispanic/Latino whereas the same population only makes up 10.98% of the Woodland Hills population. There are also more Asian’s in Canoga Park (17.23%) as opposed to (6.24%) in Woodland Hills and slightly more Black residents (5.56%) than just 4.89% in Woodland Hills.
Looking at the age demographic of both cities it is observed that Canoga Park has younger residents (23% vs 15.77%) and Woodland Hills has more elderly residents (21.71% vs 16.62%). Considering the variable of my choice which is the school proficiency index- there are significant educational divisions between the two cities as well with Woodland Hills having the higher 86 and Canoga Park having only a school proficiency index of 27. These dramatic value differences maintain the status quo and unequal distribution of knowledge and wealth as is demonstrated by annual income, and median home values. The only similarity which was found in the statistical data was that both Woodland Hills and Canoga Park have a low Black resident population. They were both pretty similar on the number of Black residents reported residing within their cities.
Looking at the data, it can be determined that Woodland Hills has a Non-Hispanic- White, older, wealthier residents, with higher access to better education. Whereas, Canoga Park has younger, more foreign born, less wealthy and more Hispanic/Latino residents with poorer educational choices. Comparing this statistical data to my earlier hypothesis it can be demonstrated that I had accurate predictions in the access to education, wealth, and home values. It was also correctly predicted that Woodland Hills would have older residents who had been members of the community for a longer period with the numbers of foreign-born residents being less than those mentioned above in regard to Canoga Park.
- Reflecting on this exercise and our learning this semester, there are obvious disparities in race and education between my neighborhood and the other city which was discussed. The divisions take form with educational inequality (Golash-Boza 2018: 220). Children from my neighborhood which are mostly Non-Hispanic White have access to better schools and education as demonstrated by the school proficiency index and the achievement gap(Golash-Boza 2018: 232). Higher home values, and property taxes help to fund public education in my area. This gives these children access to better education. Their privilege helps to create a system of inequality amongst the residents of the two cities which I compared. When the children who reside in Woodland Hills have an advantage by attending more competitive and highly rated schools, they keep the momentum of this advantage by later entering in more competitive higher levels of education as well.
This process keeps the money and the power unequally distributed as these children, now adults get better jobs which bring home higher annual incomes. They can then afford nicer homes in more expensive areas and maintain their power. These residents when older- can also afford to rebuilt and update their homes, putting more value into them which increases their wealth. Being part of these circumstances, the mostly white individuals take advantage of the white privilege they were born into (Golash-Boza 2018: 188). Not only do these individuals not have to face racism and discrimination, but they also have privilege from their whiteness in the form of wealth (Golash-Boza 2018: 283), access, and power. They live in safer, quieter, less crime ridden cities where they can have access to a healthier environment, better food, and better quality of life.
There are no official historic lending boundaries (redlining) in Woodland Hills and Canoga Park as both neighborhoods’ homes were mostly built after the 1960s. However, I did find interesting data looking at the lending map in the form of a yellow square, or an area labeled as “declining” in Canoga Park. The area was located just south of the Canoga Park neighborhood which I used to collect data. Also, with the way in which homes are priced to make them only accessible to the wealthy white individuals which I discussed- there is data showing residential segregation (Golash-Boza 2018: 285) between the two neighborhoods. Whites have access to favorable-higher priced neighborhoods which non-whites are excluded from based on their lack of wealth. This can also be seen and demonstrated from the larger map of Los Angeles.
REFERENCES
textbook reference