UPD 537 : SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
ERIKA BROWNCOREY WALTERS
KATIE MCLAUGHLINWILL KRAUSE
MAY 6 , 2013
Problem Properties & St. Louis City
Background for Class
This report presents work done by Dr. Joanna Ganning's Spring 2013 Intermediate GIS class at Saint Louis University. Dr. Ganning is an Assistant Professor with the Urban Planning and Real Estate Development (UPRED) program, housed in the Center for Sustainability. This project developed through discussion between Dr. Ganning and Dotti Pennington, Customer Service Manager for the Citizen's Service Bureau at the City of St. Louis. Ms. Pennington is also a Spring 2013 graduate of the UPRED program. Our goal is to provide the City with high quality data, mapping, and analysis that will assist in efforts to mitigate or reduce the prevalence of problem properties. This project has multiple objectives:
to provide the City of St. Louis with a map-based representation of problem properties;
to provide analysis of conditions surrounding areas of relatively concentrated problem properties;
to provide a clear dialogue of the relationship between contextual variables and neighborhood instability;
It has been our effort throughout to provide a reasoned and fair, factual approach. We strive to provide context and analysis rather than policy evaluation or recommendations. To that end, we hope this document is as useful to your efforts as its development was to the educational aims of the course.
Presentation Outline
Problem Properties Concentrations Focus neighborhoods
Focus Neighborhoods Backgrounds
Base MapsFocus Topics
Vacant land/buildings, housing affordability, food access, transportation, education History, present situation, and theories Focus Area Neighborhood Maps
Conclusion
Hamilton Heights
Population 2010: 3,105
Population Change: -19%
Median Income: $18,000-$23,000
Land use: 57% residential; 32% vacant, 11% other
Source: 2010 Census Data
The Ville Demographics
97%
1% 2%
Demographics
BlackWhiteOther
Photos from: Groth, Mark. "St. Louis City Talk." St. Louis City Talk. N.p., 2008-2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Greater Ville/Ville Focus Area
Population 2010: Greater Ville: 6,189 Ville: 1,868
Median Income (for both the Greater Ville and Ville): $11,533 - $22,504
Population Change: Greater Ville: -24% Ville: -31%
Source: 2010 Census Data and St. Louis City
1%
97%
2%
The Ville Demographics
White
Black
Other
1%
97%
2%
The Greater VilleDemographics
White
Black
Other
Photos from: Groth, Mark. "St. Louis City Talk." St. Louis City Talk. N.p., 2008-2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Carr Square Focus Area
Population 2010: 2,789
Population change: +19%
Median Income: $11,000-$33,000 St. Louis Median:
$46,137.07Land Use
24% residential 7% vacant 69% other
Source: 2010 Census Data
97%
1% 2%
Demographics
BlackWhiteOther
Closest focus area to Downtown
Photos from: Groth, Mark. "St. Louis City Talk." St. Louis City Talk. N.p., 2008-2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Population: Dutchtown: 15,770 TGS: 13,333 Gravois Park: 5,225
Population Change: Dutchtown: -8% TGS: -10% Gravois Park:-10%
Median Income: Ranges from $30,000 -
$55,000, depending on neighborhood, compared to the median city income - $46,137.07
Source: 2010 Census Data and St. Louis City
Dutchtown Focus Area
Photos from: Groth, Mark. "St. Louis City Talk." St. Louis City Talk. N.p., 2008-2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Dutchtown Focus Area continued
22.4
68.4
9.2
Gravois Park De-mographics
White
Black
Other
35.5
50.8
13.7
Dutchtown De-mographics
White
54.9
29.7
25.4White
Black
Other
Tower Grove South Demographics
Land Use: Gravois Park
90% residential 5% vacant 5% other
Dutchtown 93% residential 2% vacant 5% other
Tower Grove South 92% residential 2% vacant 6% other
Highest Crime Counts per Area
o Hamilton Heights: Destruction of property malicious/private property, drug possession cocaine, public order violation
o Carr Square: Public order violation
o Greater Ville: Adult assault age 17 and up domestic, destruction of property malicious/private property
o Dutchtown: Destruction of property malicious/private property, leaving scene of accident
Defining Vacant Properties
“Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings and vacant lots that exhibit one or both of the following traits:
1. The site poses a threat to public safety (meeting the definition of a public nuisance)
2. The owners or managers neglect the fundamental duties of property ownership”
Source: National Vacant Properties Campaign, 2005
Urban Disinvestment
St. Louis has approximately: 22,328 parcels of vacant structures 21,833 parcels of vacant land
Often concentrated in low income, predominantly minority neighborhoods.
This issue presents itself as a significant cost to the City as both an economic issue and one of social welfare.
Urban Disinvestment
Vacant buildings: Attract crime Cost the City property tax revenue Reduce neighborhood property values Drain resources from local departments and Impact community health.
*Source: National Vacant Properties Campaign, 2005
Urban Disinvestment
No one cause for vacant property, either in St. Louis or the nation at large.
It is a culmination of political, economic, and cultural forces that have occurred over decades.
Effects of Vacant Property
The “Broken Windows” Theory has been widely cited as one of the principal frameworks for understanding the linkage between vacant properties and crime.
The nature of the physical environment leads to an increase in criminal activity.
In theory an area showing signs of physical disorder is vulnerable to increased incidences of crime.
Crime
Vacant properties are most correlated to the occurrence of crime.
Blocks with vacant properties are twice as likely to contain higher rates of crime as blocks without vacant buildings.*
Vacant homes are associated with higher levels of drug use, drug sales, prostitution, and an increased chance of injury by fire.**
*Source: National Vacant Properties Campaign, 2005
**Garvin. More Than Just an Eyesore: Local Insights and Solutions on Vacant Land nd Urban Health. Journal of Urban Health, 2012.
Arson
Vacant buildings are prone to arson and accidental fires that put local fire fighters at greater risk and cost cities financially.
Each year more than 70 percent of vacant property fires are arson related. *
The physical dangers to fire fighters is greater because of invisible threats such as unsecured walls and open floors.*
* Source: National Vacant Properties Campaign, 2005
Lost Property Tax Revenue
Real estate has an interrelated relationship; the actions of one property will have a fiscal impact on the other.
Vacant properties decrease the property and tax value of nearby businesses and residences.
A 2001 study from Philadelphia determined that properties within*:
a) 150 feet of a vacant structure lost $7,267 in value, b) 150 to 300 feet lost $6,819, c) 300 and 450 feet lost $3,542
*Source: National Vacant Properties Campaign, 2005
Community Health
Derelict housing is associated with poor health factors from pre-mature death to diabetes.*
Physical disorder is believed to be connected to negative health related episodes because it promotes, “chronic stress and attendant maladaptive physiologic responses, encouraging risky behavior, and eroding resident social interaction.” **
Cohen, D. M. (2003). Neighborhood physical conditions and health. American Journal
of Public Health, 467-471.**Garvin. More Than Just an Eyesore: Local Insights and Solutions on Vacant Land and Urban Health. Journal of Urban Health, 2012.
Background on Housing Affordability
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition: The rental market has seen
continued demand, which has increased the cost of rental housing, even in affordable places.*
In no state can one full-time job at minimum wage provide a 2 bedroom rental at fair market rate.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in order for a home to be affordable, no more than 30% of monthly or annual income should be spent on housing.**
*National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2012). Out of Reach Report: America’s Forgotten Housing Crisis. Washington, D.C.**http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/
Effects of Unaffordable Housing
In low income communities, dispensable income is limited. Thus, difficulty arises in keeping up with other financial responsibilities.* Creation of neighborhood instability
Community disinvestment by households due to declining dispensable income.
Unaffordable housing can lead inadequate nutrition, reduced access to medical care, and a decline in overall quality of life.**
*National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2012). Out of Reach Report: America’s Forgotten Housing Crisis. Washington, D.C.**Human Impact Partners. (2012) Human Impact Partners Evidence Base. Retreieved from: http://www.humanimpact.org/evidencebase/category;
Food Access
Definition not just spatial, but practical Affordability (fewer supermarkets, more grocery stores)1
Correlation with vacant land Vehicle access
Cascading effects (national trends) Food insufficiency and nutritional value linked to
educational performance, early development (self-image) Obesity: Higher healthcare costs, fewer job opportunities
Compounding effect on budgetary issues, quality of life
1. http://economics.wustl.edu/files/economics/imce/madeleine_daepp_2013.pdf, p. 62. http://www.nmu.edu/sites/DrupalEducation/files/UserFiles/Files/Pre-Drupal/SiteSections/Students/GradPapers/Projects/Ross_Amy_MP.pdf, p. 24
*Grocery stores, as seen here, consist of supermarkets, grocery stores, corner stores, and specialty stores.
Transportation
The country has become more reliant on private vehicles1
More costly Leads to larger distances between residence and
employmentMobility vs. Accessibility1
Location and quality of public transportation is often not as important as its connection with where people work and live
Neighborhood design2
Better neighborhood design and safety make areas walkable to access transportation, or walk to employment, education, etc.
1Martens, K., Golub, A., & Robinson, G. (2012). A justice-theoretic approach to the distribution of transportation benefits: Implications for transportation planning practice in the United States. Transportation Research Part A: Policy & Practice, 46(4), 684-695. doi:10.1016/j.tra.2012.01.0042Anderson, K., Richardson, V., Fields, N., & Harootyan, R. (2013). Inclusion or exclusion? Exploring barriers to employment for low-income older adults. Journal Of Gerontological Social Work, 56(4), 318-334. doi:10.1080/01634372.2013.777006
Transportation Effects
All focus groups are connected to MetroBusHamilton Heights and Carr Square are closest to
MetroLink
It is the connection between where people live and their opportunities More and better job options, education, healthcare, etc.
Access to quality transportation allows people to move throughout the city Leads to shorter commute times; more time to work or
spend outside of work
Education Attainment
PBS Newshour cites that a student of Roosevelt high school, a public St. Louis high school in a predominantly minority neighborhood "struggled with gangs, poor attendance, and little discipline. Its problems were not unique among St. Louis schools.”* These issues lead to overall lower educational attainment in areas
with low ranking public schools, as shown with the correlation between the educational attainment map and the ranks of the focus area public schools.
Many cite education as the key to socioeconomic mobility, and here the inequalities in the American educational system clearly play a role.**
*Woodruff, J. In St. Louis, Efforts To Help Low Income Students Go A Long Way (April 30, 2009). PBS Newshour. [Radio News Program]. Retrieved from PBSNewshour.org: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june09/stlouis_04-30.html** Barry, B. (2005) Why Social Justice Matters. Polity Press: Cambridge; Friedman, Howard S. (2012). “The American Myth of Social Mobility.” The Huffington Post, 16 July 2012, Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-steven-friedman/classmobility_b_1676931.html
• Student-Teacher ratio is a well-established standard for measuringeducation quality
• National public school average1: 15.2• St. Louis Public Schools average: 13.1• National private school average2: 12.5• St. Louis Private school average: 11.9
• St. Louis better than average nationally• But disparity between North and South
St. Louis
1 Estimate, Fall 2011 http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28 2 Estimate, 2009 http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28
Focus Area Narratives
Dutchtown and Carr Square
Less population decline than others
Economic proximityLower socioeconomic
householdsHousing affordabilityCommunity instability
and disinvestment
Greater Ville and Hamilton Heights
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