Mixed Communities in Planning - Coursework Example

MIXED COMMUNITIES IN PLANNING By Location Mixed Communities in Planning Introduction In many societies, it isalways easier to separate people in terms of the social classes, age, and culture in which they belong. However, it has been noticed that social inclusion can be of various benefits to the society. There are a number of things that have been done to make sure that mixed communities are encouraged. Some of these activities have been effective while others have failed. It is important to review the various initiatives that have been taken toward building mixed communities and the level of their successes in order to know that what can be done toenhance mixed communities. When planning for a mixed community, it is always important to note that whatever plans are made must be with consideration to the various preferences and financial ability status in the society. In a society that is exclusively for rich and financially capable people, financially incapable people will find it hard settling in because prices of housing will be unfavorable to them. The same applies to a society whichexclusively target poor people. In such an environment the rich and affluent will never get the type of dwellings and neighborhoods that they would prefer living in. Other factors such as age, race, and nature of dwelling usage can also be other factors that might be limiting to communal inclusion. Other considerations include difference in cultures, age, health state, and lifestyles. This is the only way through which mixed communities can be attained. Argument Mixed Services A perfect mixed society is one which can be able to accommodate all people regardless of their ages. Many cities have over the past years registered an increase in the population of the elderly. It is important for them to be able to find a way of accommodating them. In Michigan continuing care retirement communities have proved to be an effective ways of keeping elderly people within the society. These are communities that offer a continuum of care ranging from residential care, assisted living, and skilled nursing services on a single campus. Continuing care retirement communities allow people to live in the same retirement community because they avail all the amenities that associate to retirement living. According to statistics more about 18% of elderly people within Michigan are taken care of by continuing care retirement communities. Mixed communities could lead to mixed services which could be good in some cases or groups such as the immigrants who have always found it hard to access social facilities and services because they are never considered to be a relevant part of the society. However, mixed societies might seem disadvantageous to the business people who have over the years invested in the provision of services which are attractive to certain part of the society. Some of the cultures might also find some of the mixed services inappropriate (Cole & Goodchild 2000, p. 356). For instance, mixed services that involve inclusion of people of both genders might prove to be inappropriate to the Indians. The youths have also emerged to be an important market segment yet some services provided to the old people might be inconveniencing to them. Some religious facilities and practices can also be unbearable to the other religions. For instance, the Muslim might find the church bells on Sundays unbearable. Just like the other religions might find Diwali celebrations disturbing. In Britain, the new housing policy has seen to it that most inclusion of social flats and small scale developments are included in residential properties that are developed with fancies and high security levels. In the case of Britain special attention was paid to factors such as size, intensity, design standards, and specific housing needs. This was in the bid of creating societies where people of all classes could get something that match their abilities or taste. Apart from the housings and residential properties, these residential places were effective in making sure that social services in such places were mixed to an extent that everyone was able to get whatever they wanted (Lees 2008, p. 2453). These are developments that are believed to have significantly influenced the economy in Britain with the gap between social classes being slowly reduced. However, an issue is that it is not certain whether such a policy have a positive effect on the financial and economic abilities of the people of the lower class. Some economists argue that this just covers poverty, but does not solve it. There are some communities who already got their own structure. This community usually exits within the society thus making the society more inclusive. Good examples of such communities are higher learning institutions and some industries. Due to the nature of these societies they usually have their own composition in terms of cultures and social classes. The common thing about these societies is the fact that they usually do not discriminated on social classes or culture. For instance, a higher learning institution will find itself in a position where they have to hire employees from different cultures, lifestyles, and social classes. Such inclusions usually lead to the need for mixed services that will be able to serve the mixed nature that is brought about by these communities. Mixed background residence In the recent past, there has been an increase in communities that have people of different backgrounds. Some of the analysts think that this has been a result of the search for a solution on insecurity and poverty. There has also been the issue on accommodation of the elderly people in the society which makes it necessary for people to come up with ways through which the elderly can also feel like they are part of the society. There are some areas with some certain types of housing which makes it hard for them to be attractive to people from certain classes. There are a number of important factors that should be taken into consideration when creating mixed communities. These factors include house affordability, house prices, house designs standards, housing density, and house size setting (Osendorf, Musterd & Vos S de 2001, p. 376).However, the new developments as a policy in Britain has been sufficient in proving that cheap social blocks just result to an increase in insecurity in the society. This has been said to be one way through which security has been enhanced in Britain. Many of the unmixed communities in America have turned into not just slums, but also criminal enclaves leading to the necessity to advocate for mixed communities. For instance, in the crime rate in Detroit has always been considered to be very high because of the fact that it is mostly occupied by low income African-Americans. According to Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Reports Detroit was the city with the highest rate of violent crimes (La Vigne & Wartell 2000, p. 23). In some countries such as in the United States of America, there has always been some town set apart for some communities for their own protection. One case study that was recently carried out by the federal government assert that much of the immigrants that are perceived to be in need of special protection can do much better when they are part of a mixed society. 67% of the immigrants who were involved in the study asserted that living on the reservations only, made them feel like they were not a part of the general society. Of inclusion of elderly people in the society can be derived from the case of Portland. In the city of Partland accessory dwelling units have proved to be said to have been an effective way through which elderly people are kept in the community. Accessory dwelling units refer to separate, compact spaces-complete with bathrooms, kitchen, bed, and entry. They are always used for providing a second dwelling on a single residential lot. These units are commonly referred to as backyard cottages or mother-in-law apartment (Kleinhans 2004, p. 376). They enable old people to live close to their families without having to dwell under the same roofs with them. Accessory dwelling units can be one way through which the society can make sure that they can attain a mixed population without having to depend on social care units which can be in most cases be perceived by the society as an act of neglect and is regarded as a highly immoral thing for people to do to their parents. In the city of Partland Accessory dwelling units have been observed to be the most popular way through which the residents can be able to have their elderly relatives close to them and be able to take personal care of them (Bailey et al 2006, p. 111). There have been some developers who have developed residential places where concrete fences and electric fence are used with the main aim of enhancing security. These residential places also have trained security guards and CCTV cameras that, make sure that strangers can be spotted and kept away from these places. This kind of housing has been necessitated by the rise of insecurity in the areas (Smets& Salman 2008, p. 1324). These estates have social facilities such as swimming pools, gyms, supermarkets, clinics, pharmacies, and many others within them. These facilities also have houses of different densities, prices, sizes, and design standards, making it easier for people of all backgrounds to be able to fit in. However, one thing that is notable about this new trend is that they normally do not have small scale development. This implies that there is a class that is simply left out with this new trend. If the trend allocated the inclusion of small scale development in new development then it is certain that the class that is left out by the current trend will find a place in the society. This seemed to have worked well in Arena Poort, Amsterdam where the local real estate developers were able to make sure that they design high quality neighborhoods with a mixture of highly sophisticated house and small scale development. The resulting society was highly secure with most of the residence being grateful for the increase in security that was brought about by such developments. All the classes were able to get together. The city council security secretary asserted that such inclusion makes security a concern of the general society and not the rich and affluent only (Kleinhans 2004, p. 376). Structured communities such as universities can also lead to social inclusion. In an area where there are universities and other higher learning institutions, there is likely to be some difference in housing. One thing that is certain is that the housing requirements for higher learning institutions not the same as the requirement for the general population. For instance, the financial ability of students is not usually the same as those of the general population. Students come from different families with different background making it possible for their accommodation needs to be as basic as possible. University students are always students for just a few years. They do not have to have permanent residential places while they are at the university. This is because soon after they are through with their programs that they are taking they will be going to other places so that they can begin their careers. This means that they do not have to spend on things like furniture and household accessories while at the universities (Camina 2009, p. 471). With regard to universities, it can be said that many societies have been successful in making their inclusion to the society possible. They are strategically situated in such a manner that none of their activities are disruptive to the local residence. The universities can also be safe from the local residents. A single thing that is indisputable is the fact that students sometimes tend to be rowdy. With respect to this aspect of their lifestyle, the local residents who stay close to their residential areas have always complained about their conduct especially during the weekends. In spite the fact that most universities might be alienated from the general population some of their residential places such as hostels are located within the residential areas for the regular population. This statement is particularly true for privately owned hostels. This has been a reason for concern for most of the residents who have the opinion that the presence of these residential places in the locality makes the environment less attractive. Works better in bigger scale Independent living refers to apartments and private homes that are always rented out to the elderly. In Newcastle there has been an increase in the number of such dwelling facilities as a result of the change in the population structure. Some of these facilities offer services such as housekeeping and meals. Through the existence of such housing facilities the elderly people can have an easy time in existing in the society since they have facilities in which they can comfortably. This has been seen as a way through which all the society members can be able to benefit due to the fact that the elderly people can still remain in the society without having to over dependent on the other members of the society. Since these facilities are customized to the requirements of elderly people they can find it easier than when they opt for dwelling facilities developed for the general population. Due to the high rate at which globalization is leading to the movement of people from one part of the world to another, it is important for three to be a way in which people of different cultures and lifestyles can be accommodated. Like in the City of Baltimore in the United States of America, the government has made inclusion of the immigrants in their census, making it easier for them to make effective planning for both social facilities and cultural cohesion between the different cultures (Bretherton & Pleace 2011, p. 3433). Statistics proved it that this initiative has led to an increase in economic productivity of immigrants in the locality. This is basically because the different people from different parts of the world usually have different contribution to economic activities. However, it should be noted that such inclusions can also lead to frequent conflicts between the different communities. One thing about structured communities such as universities and other higher learning institutions is that they usually employees at various levels. In most cases it is always found that these employees come from different parts of the world. They also happen to come from different social classes. Since, these people have to work in the same environments the localities usually have to create housing and social facilities that can be accommodating to all the employees regardless of their social class. This can be said to be one way through which higher learning enhances mixed communities. However, in some institutions the low class employees have not always given much consideration, forcing them to seek residence from other areas. Bibliography Bailey N. et al 2006, Creating and sustaining mixed income communities, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York. Bretherton J &Pleace N 2011, “A difficult mix” Urban Studies 48(16), 3433. 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Smets P & Salman T 2008 “Countering urban segregation: theoretical and policy innovations from around the globe” Urban Studies 45(7), 1307-1332. La Vigne, NG & Wartell, J 2000, “Crime mapping case studies: Successes in the field” Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum. Read More