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114
Unsafe because sometimes there’s gangsters drinking and smoking and there
is also tagging on the floor and the walls
Children were also able to identify crime hot spots in the neighborhood where
violent crimes were known to happen or where they even directly witnessed:
I don’t like Adams street because there’s a lot of violence, brutality,
gangsters, drive by, and murders
I don’t like this place because there is gun shooting at night and police cars
I don’t like these places because I saw a dead body
Fears were not only directly experienced but also generated from indirect sources
such as media coverage:
There is a dog and I heard a girl got raped there that came out of TV
Heard about child molesters from the news
In some places children were torn between excitement and fear. Particularly, children
mentioned their daily struggles in some of the neighborhood parks where their
enjoyment of places was threatened by the presence of risk elements, ranging from
dangerous objects to gang activities:
Like because kids play (but) unsafe because many trash, glass rocks, chips in
sand
I don’t feel safe on Toberman park because there are a lot of gangs
Neighborhood parks and recreational centers were indeed where children’s feelings
were most mixed. When crime and violence were highly perceived, police presence
was often provoked a sense of danger rather than a sense of safety:
Object Description
| Title | Walkability as 'freedom': the ecology of school journey in inner city Los Angeles neighborhoods |
| Author | Uhm, Jung A |
| Author email | uhm@usc.edu; j_uhm@hotmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | planning |
| School | School of Policy, Planning, and Development |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-06-05 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-17 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Banerjee, Tridib |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Irazabal, Clara Stoner, Madeleine |
| Abstract | Over the past two decades, rising concerns over childhood obesity and its health effects have brought the issue of "walkability" to the forefront in creating a child friendly environment. Particularly, the idea of promoting children walking to and from school has gained widespread support among policy makers, public health officials, civic organizations, and planners as a way to increase physical activity among children to prevent obesity. Recent policies and programs however are based on an assumption about the direct influence of the built environment on school travel mode, of which parents' values and perceptions are considered prominent in determining environmental attributes related to children walking to school.; This research proposes a conceptual framework in understanding the relationship between the environment and children's travel by adding a crucial link generally missing in current walkability research - children. By proposing the notion of walkability as freedom, this study attempts to draw attentions to children's choices and real opportunities and factors that either facilitate or prohibit children in or from actualizing what they value (walking to school as one of many). With this goal, this research explored the elements of a walkable environment through the eyes of ethnic minority children attending five elementary schools in inner city Los Angeles.; Through the triangulation of capability approach, child-centered participatory methods, and ecological perspectives, the findings demonstrate children's capacity not only to observe and understand the environment, but also to evaluate and reflect on making their neighborhood environment safer and walkable on their own terms.; This research suggests a shift in policy focus from the provision and improvement of environmental resources to the enhancement of individual freedom by increasing children's participatory capability. The results of this study advance the discussion on the relationship between active school travel and the environment by bringing children into the foreground within the spheres of ecological transaction. |
| Keyword | capability; children; inner-city neighborhood; perception; school travel; walkability |
| Geographic subject | educational facilities: Foshay Learning Center; educational facilities: Norwood Street Elementary School; educational facilities: St. Agnes Parish School; educational facilities: Vermont Avenue Elementary School; educational facilities: Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School |
| Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Los Angeles |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Coverage date | circa 2008 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1671 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Uhm, Jung A |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Uhm-2224 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume29/etd-Uhm-2224.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 124 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 114 Unsafe because sometimes there’s gangsters drinking and smoking and there is also tagging on the floor and the walls Children were also able to identify crime hot spots in the neighborhood where violent crimes were known to happen or where they even directly witnessed: I don’t like Adams street because there’s a lot of violence, brutality, gangsters, drive by, and murders I don’t like this place because there is gun shooting at night and police cars I don’t like these places because I saw a dead body Fears were not only directly experienced but also generated from indirect sources such as media coverage: There is a dog and I heard a girl got raped there that came out of TV Heard about child molesters from the news In some places children were torn between excitement and fear. Particularly, children mentioned their daily struggles in some of the neighborhood parks where their enjoyment of places was threatened by the presence of risk elements, ranging from dangerous objects to gang activities: Like because kids play (but) unsafe because many trash, glass rocks, chips in sand I don’t feel safe on Toberman park because there are a lot of gangs Neighborhood parks and recreational centers were indeed where children’s feelings were most mixed. When crime and violence were highly perceived, police presence was often provoked a sense of danger rather than a sense of safety: |
