2
Windshield Survey
Ciara Gray-Walker
Schoolcraft College
Nurs 250
Professor Brendal/Lloyd
4/21/2024
Windshield Survey Tool
COMMUNITY CORE
OBSERVATIONS/DATA
History
What is your impression of the community? Is this an established community? Are the neighborhoods old or new? Is there a specific history associated with this community?
Ann Arbor is a vibrant community situated about 40 miles south of Detroit. The city was founded in 1824 and named after the wives of its founders, Allen and Elisha. The community grew as an agricultural trading center due to the presence of the Michigan Central Railroad, which linked it to Detroit.
Boundaries
Are there boundaries in the community? Are these boundaries geographical, political, or economic?
Do neighborhoods have names?
Are there sub-communities?
How are these identified?
Ann Arbor’s boundaries are political. Neighborhood names include Old West Side, Burns Park, Allen, and South Main. Physical boundaries like roads and waterways can identify sub-communities. Every sub-community is comprised of various neighborhoods and contains unique physical and natural attributes.
Housing and Zoning
What is the age of the buildings? Are the residences single family or multifamily dwellings?
The oldest buildings in Ann Arbor date back to 1923. They were designed by the community’s leading architects in the 1900s. The majority of the population in Ann Arbor have never been married. A small number of separated or divorced residents amounting to 7%.
Demographics
What sorts of people do you see? Average age of this community? Percentage of single, married, or other types of households? Level of education? Average income level? Language spoken? Gender?
Generally, there are more white residents than black or African Americans. There are approximately 130000 residents in Ann Arbor. The median age is approximately 27.5 years, with the number of males slightly lower than that of women.
There are approximately 50,000 households in Ann Arbor, with every family comprising about 2 members. About 18% of households have children, while 80% lack children.
White-collar jobs in the area are about 93% of the working population, with blue-collar jobs amounting to 7%
The average annual household income in the city is about $107368.
11% of the Ann Arbor population has a high school certificate, 28% has attained a college degree, and 27% possess a college certificate (Bureau, n.d.).
Ethnicity
What is the predominant ethnic group? Are there residents from a variety of ethnic backgrounds or is the community mostly one group? Are there stores, restaurants, churches, schools, or languages that indicate a particular ethnic group(s)?
The leading ethnic community in Ann Arbor is white, which makes up 68% of the population. Other ethnic groups in the area include Asians, black Americans, and white Hispanics.
The presence of churches shows that majority of the citizens in the city are Christians.
People in the Community
Who is in the area during the day? What evidence is there of particular “classes” of people – upper, middle, working, lower?
The majority of the people work in different occupations, including office and administration, education instruction, and library services. They can be considered as middle-class
Economy
Is it a thriving community or does it feel rundown? Are there places of employment, stores, industries, or development? Are there new subdivisions or homes being built? What are the major industries located in the area? What types of occupations are evident?
There is a wide variety of socioeconomic statuses in Ann Arbor. Some neighborhoods are wealthy, and other regions are depressed.
There are large homeless populations, with the majority living downtown or around the University of Michigan campus.
The largest industries in Ann Arbor are educational services, the health industry, and scientific and technical services. The highest-paying industries in the area are utilities, scientific and technical services. The typical jobs are education instruction, management occupation, office and administrative occupations. Education instruction and library occupations are the highest occupations in the area.
Signs of Decay
Is the area well maintained or in disrepair? Is there garbage strewn? Are there trashed/abandoned cars, places for rodents or other wildlife to hide, vacant lots? How is the air quality? Are there any environmental concerns?
The community is well kept, and there are no signs of significant destruction. However, Michigan’s roads are not in good condition. The majority of the lots have houses and parks constructed on them. There are clean streets and areas to dump garbage. The environment is well taken care of with no serious concerns.
Parks and Recreational Areas
Are there play areas for children and adults? Are they safe and well-maintained? Are there dog parks, bike trails, walking paths? What are the forms of recreation in the community? Who is participating? Is access to facilities readily available? Is there a cost?
There are several public parks and nature areas with public plants, walking paths, and picnic areas. The community is a residence of Michigan University and has the largest football stadium in the US, “The Big House.”
Common Areas
Where do people collect for social gatherings; where do they “hang out”? Are they for particular groups or are they open to all? Are there signs posted? Do people gather at book stores, coffee houses, breweries, etc.?
There are several social gatherings in the city, including churches, restaurants, and coffee houses.
Other social amenities include indoor and outdoor study spaces, community gardens, and coffee shops.
Stores
What stores/amenities (grocery, retail, drug, resale, dry cleaning, gas stations, post offices etc.) are in the area? What type of transportation is needed to get to these places? Are they walkable?
The city is home to a variety of business centers. Stores present in the city include hip retailers for apparel and home décor, such as Urban Outfitters. Ragstock is a hip source for new and used clothing.
Transportation
How do people get around? Are there buses, private vehicles, transit for the physically disabled, taxis, bicycles, scooters? Who uses these services? Do you see sidewalks, roads, trails? Are they in good repair?
The leading means of transport in Ann Arbor include cars, walking, and bus or trolley buses. Approximately 34,000 citizens commute by car, 9000 prefer walking to their workplaces, and 5000 use the bus or trolley bus (n.d.-a).
Communication
Is there evidence of local and national newspapers? Other media? Are there informational posters on streets, busses, billboards, etc.? Is there evidence of radios, TVs, computers, etc. Are there bulletin boards, community events, town council meetings? Social media? Community announcements?
The streets are well-equipped with posters with different advertisements. Firms utilize billboards on the streets to convey messages regarding their products and services. There is high communication infrastructure, as seen by the TV stations with high computerized infrastructure.
The city council utilizes CTN television to convey its information to the citizens. This enhances transparency and citizens’ and workers’ understanding of city objectives.
Education
Are there schools in the area? How do they look? Are there libraries with computer access?? Is there access to all levels of education within the community? Are there community colleges, universities, other types of educational opportunities for community members?
The area has a wide range of public and private schools for students of all ages. Private schools offer foreign language classes, music, and sports. Skyline High School is known for high-quality biotechnology and robotics classes. Community High School offers performing arts (Bureau, n.d.).
The area’s universities awarded 16,125 degrees in 2021. Most students in Ann Arbor are female compared to their male counterparts. The largest universities in Ann Arbor are the University of Michigan and Concordia University.
Service Centers
What services are available in the community –employment offices, community center, senior citizen services, services for people with disabilities, etc.?
Numerous service centers exist, including job offices like Wolverine Technical Staffing, Olsten Staffing Svc, and Robert Half.
Protective Services
Where are fire and police stations located? Is there evidence of police and fire protection in the area? What are the crime statistics for the community? Is this a ‘safe’ community to live and work? Are there informal protective services such as a Neighborhood Watch Group? Do residents use Ring doorbells or other kinds of devices for home safety?
Ann Arbor is a relatively safe city for the average US citizen. The violent crime rate is approximately 15 compared to the US average of approximately 22.7. Overall, the city has a lower crime rate than other US cities.
Protective services exist, as evidenced by abuse and neglect offices, police offices, and child protective services offices.
Values and Beliefs
Are there churches, mosques, temples? Do you see advertisements for youth groups, children’s groups, family support groups? Are there church-run schools in the area (denomination)?
Ann Arbor is home to various religious beliefs. The leading religious groups include traditional denominations like Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. Churches in the area offer various opportunities for worship and religious meetings. Besides, churches in the area are well known for their acts of kindness and compassion and for helping the city grow.
Health and Social Services
Is there evidence of any health problems such as drug/alcohol abuse, communicable or chronic diseases, mental illness (etc.)?
Where are the urgent cares, minute clinics, hospitals, social services, shelters and other support services for a healthy community? Is there a Level One or Level 2 Trauma Hospital in the community?
Ann Arbor is a vibrant city with numerous healthcare centers. High-quality healthcare institutions in the city include St. Joseph Mercy, University of Michigan Hospital, and VA Healthcare.
In the city, smaller medical centers provide specialized services and treatments, including Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, U-M Frankel Cardiovascular Center, and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital (Ann Arbor, n.d.).
98% of the population in Ann Arbor has health coverage, with about 64% being on the employee plans
Politics
Is there evidence of political activity? Are there any signs that indicate a predominant political party (parties)or concern(s)? Percentage of registered voters? What is the governmental jurisdiction of the community? Is this a town? A city? Is there a town council?
Generally, Michigan experiences competitive politics. The state is skewed towards democracy in presidential elections. Ann Arbor is one of the areas of democratic strength in Michigan. The total number of registered voters in Ann Arbor is 213413. However, only 59.3% of this population voted in the last presidential elections. Ann Arbor is a city under the leadership of Mayor Christopher Taylor. The city council of Ann Arbor consists of the mayor and 10 council members who come from the city’s five wards.
References
Ann Arbor Household Income, Population & Demographics | point2. (n.d.-a). https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/MI/Ann-Arbor-Demographics.html
Ann Arbor, MI. Data USA. (n.d.). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/ann-arbor-mi#:~:text=PopulationDiversity&text=In2021therewere4.06,thirdmostcommonethnicgroups.
Bureau, U. S. C. (n.d.). Explore census data. https://data.census.gov/profile/Ann_Arbor_city,_Michigan?g=160XX00US2603000
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