Project
Discussion
Project
Discussion
From an initial standpoint, I hope that this site can save fifteen minutes out of somebody's day. If a local citizen is able to use this site to find a phone number, or the closest playground, I will be happy. However, it seems that there could be more potential. Among the various governmental organizations, volunteer programs, parks and other environmental resources available within the community, there are great opportunities for civic involvement. While all of these resources already exist, they are not always easily accessed within the same format or classification. This site provides standardized and open access to these resources by anyone who can find a computer with access to the internet, a service available at the local library.
Increasing the accessibility of community resources can create significant benefits to the community. Research has shown this to be true in a variety of ways. Specifically, access to community resources, parks, government, volunteer programs, etc., increases public health and well-being and builds social capital. These elements in turn promote the creation of a stronger community on both a personal and organizational level. Citizens are more engaged, and the local democracy is more effective.
Studies of urban communities in Glasgow show a connection of population well being with positive opportunity structures (Witten 2003). Social environment factors such as recreational facilities, public transport, and healthy food sources are community resources that create positive opportunities. Presence of these factors affect citizens perception of their local environment as well as their personal health, with positive neighborhood perceptions and better health associated with social opportunities (Witten 2003, Rice 2001). Similarly, a study in Alameda County presented evidence that communities rated high on a social environment scale also had low mortality risk levels (Witten 2003). This evidence held even after taking individual-level socioeconomic and health status variables. These connections are mimicked in a study done of rural communities. Locally based community facilities in New Zealand and Adelaide, Australia have been shown to provide important socializing opportunities, and contribute to local peoples sense of place.
Amenities such as parks, recreational facilities, and social and cultural services are also factors in positive community building. These amenities are provided because they are believed to promote the well being of communities’ residents (Rice 2001). They provide venues for healthy activities as well as informal meeting places outside of school, home, or work. Citizens are able to utilize parks for physical exercise as well as mental relaxation. Also, social and cultural services build neighborly relations among citizens who may not otherwise meet.
The connection between health and community resources has been solidified through a number of studies. These point to a conclusion that social involvement has benefits on two levels. Opportunities for social involvement and social resources can positively affect individual sense of place, health and sense of well being. Also, these factors lead to similar results on a population level. Additionally, the sense of community based on location of community resources can be independent of other social factors.
Inherent to the relationship of community resources and community well being is the necessary ability for citizens to access the resources. The geographic location of public resources is usually determined by resource allocating decisions based on local body conventions, equity and efficiency considerations, and lobbying. Distribution of these resources has the potential to affect social equities. Witten et al. (2003) draws attention to the power access to resources has on the well being of communities, particularly low socioeconomic neighborhoods. Greater effect is felt by these neighborhoods due to cost and mobility barriers to the use of private and non-local services and facilities. The report also points out that social inequities can be mitigated by redistribution of resources (Witten 2003).
This project does not solve the physical distribution of resources in Northfield, but does attempt to lessen the effect of lacking access to resources. In many cases the resources are available and in an appropriate location. However, the access problem can still exist if citizens are unaware of the resources available or unable to contact them. More information about the value of a web-based access to community resources will be discussed in the later section, Support for a Web based Resource.
Social capital involves two dimensions. It requires objective associations among individuals, and associations of a particular type. The associations must be trusting and involve positive emotion (Brehm 1997, Paxton 2003).
One traditional way to conceive of social capital is as a community resource that is built up and applied through a long history of civic engagement. This manner of conceptualizing the creation of social capital is relatively conventional and unnecessarily inflexible. Traditional political channels for social capital need to also involve the inclusion of alternative community resources. Wallis (2002) highlights the benefits of including community resources in social capital theories. Local governments can positively contribute to social capital formation by opening their ‘political opportunity structure’ and engaging voluntary organizations and community groups in trust-based partnership arrangements.
The environmental resources available in Northfield are able to significantly contribute to the social capital in the community. They include political structures as well as community groups working toward similar goals. Northfield is a good example of a community in which these different groups can collectively contribute to social capital. The community is large enough to offer opportunities for action but not so large those interactions become impersonal in nature.
In a community with an existing democracy, it is important to maintain and consolidate that democracy. Social capital does this by affecting the quality and the quantity of participation by its residents. Quantity is increased as volunteer organizations and informal programs build interpersonal associations, and increase feelings of civic duty among participants (Paxton 2003). These programs additionally produce continuing habits of participation that extend the quantity of participation over longer periods of time.
The interpersonal ties built by social capital also have the power to affect the nature of community participation. The quality of participation is important as it strengthens democratic values such as open-mindedness, tolerance, and respect for opposing viewpoints, while also creating an informed and reasoned public opinion (Brehm 1997, Paxton 2003).
Community participation increases the flow of information among the citizenry. This means that residents are more frequently exposed to new ideas ad political debates. Paxton (2003) emphasizes that new ideas are quickly spread through the population, but extremist ideas are more easily challenged because they are less likely to remain isolated. Furthermore, younger generations are introduced to the social aspects of the community. This helps to ensure democracy into the future.
Increasing the potential for community participation in
Northfield builds social capital and can in turn promote a healthier democracy
in an already democratic community. By participation in trusting
associations, individuals have the chance to experience changes in values,
preferences, and capacity to act. This can increase the quantity
and quality of participation in the democratic process and thereby improve
the democratic system in Northfield.
Social capital as the result of community involvement can point to particular individual goods. One of these goods is the translation of parental volunteer work to the attainments of their children. Buchel (1998) provided significant linkages between parents active in community activities and the success of their children, especially boys. The strongest connections were evidenced from fathers who were active in sports and volunteer work, with negative results coming from fathers who only socialized with friends.
Evidence of the children and younger generations of a community benefiting form social capital also comes from other sources. Coleman (1988) analyzes the effect of the lack of social capital available to high school sophomores on dropping out of school before graduation is carried out. Social capital within the family and surrounding community has the ability to positively affect high school graduation rates and therefore increase the chance for a prosperous community future.
As social capital is closely tied with the utilization
of community resources, the effects of social capital within Northfield
are closely linked to the positive effects of the resources themselves.
These effects, discussed earlier, include benefits to the well being of
the community such as increased mental and physical health, and the encouragement
of healthier interpersonal relationships.
A web-based compilation of community resources is a functional and equitable manner to increase public awareness of available resources. A website provides community resource information assembled in a manner that can help anyone with access to a computer via the internet. In Northfield this is a resource available at several local businesses as well as the city library.
Powell (2002) points out that websites compiling information about community resources face roadblocks. One argument against sites such as this one is that there is a lack of need. The community resources and information already exists. While this is true, in other communities as well as Northfield, access to the information is not consistently accessible or convenient to a large part of the community. Northfield is increasingly becoming a bedroom community. Citizens of Northfield often work and carry out activities outside of the local community. This means that information provided in traditional forms such as storefront flyers or local media are not always as effective as they could be. Conversely, the internet provides an opportunity for information dispersal that is available anywhere in the world. Citizens can find out about community opportunities while at work or away from the town.
A web-based presentation of information also allows for the consolidation of material. A community resource website provides users with the same information base so they are all reading from the same page. Information is centralized in a format that is interactive and easy to use.
Hopefully this site is helpful in creating increased access to these opportunities. Without citizen involvement community resources cannot achieve their potential. However, a broad base of valuable community resources combined with active and interested citizens can lead to a prosperous Northfield community.