The Local Initiatives Support Corporation is a national nonprofit organization that provides technical and financial assistance to distressed neighborhoods. The San Diego office of LISC recently launched an ambitious new program entitled Neighborhoods First. The Neighborhoods First initiative supports a comprehensive approach to building healthy neighborhoods of choice and opportunity throughout San Diego. San Diego LISC is in the process of rolling out the initiative in two San Diego neighborhoods this year. As it embarks on this endeavor, it has opportunities for USP majors to provide research assistance on a critical piece of the project. San Diego
LISC is looking for support from the UCSD USP program to assist the Neighborhoods First initiative by preparing, implementing, and analyzing a resident survey in the two Neighborhoods First pilot neighborhoods of Colina Park in City Heights and the Logan Heights/Memorial neighborhood. The research project will utilize the research assistance of five to ten UCSD SRP students working on two teams, one for each of the target neighborhoods.
In addition to working on the survey, students will also conduct their own independent research. As part of the quality of life survey, students will identify a specific attribute to study in more detail. Since the quality of life survey encompasses areas such as housing, education, social service provision, and transportation, each student will have a wide range of independent research options. At the completion of the two quarter Senior Sequence, members of this student research team will have made contributions to the group effort as well as their own project.
Objectives
To provide the neighborhood quality of life planning task force with information about the neighborhood assets and challenges that are most important and relevant to neighborhood residents. The survey results will also provide direction to the planning task force with respect to neighborhood priorities.
Although the task force will be developed to ensure broad and diverse neighborhood participation, access to reliable and representative information regarding resident perceptions will ensure that the task force begins its planning efforts from a position of knowledge. The results of the neighborhood perception survey will ensure that the task force is aware of, and held accountable to, the needs and issues most important to the residents and stakeholders that they represent.
Primary Objectives
• To understand and assess the neighborhood issues that are most important to neighborhood residents in the pilot Neighborhoods First neighborhoods;
• To understand and assess the neighborhood assets that are most valuable to neighborhood residents in Neighborhoods First neighborhoods;
• To ensure that the quality of life planning task force is responsive to neighborhood priorities, rather than personal and/or organizational perceptions and priorities;
• To involve the community in the data collection process as a community building and neighborhood leadership development activity.
Secondary Objectives
• To provide UCSD students with a hands-on, practical experience in urban planning and community development, specifically quality of life planning;
• To provide students with an opportunity to hone qualitative research, interview, and statistical analysis skills;
• To provide students with the opportunity to both participate on a research team as well as to work independently.
Roles, Responsibilities and Timeline
• San Diego LISC will develop draft survey instrument (July-August)
• Students will finalize survey instrument (September-October)
• Students will work with convening neighborhood organization and LISC to conduct resident surveys (September-October)
• Research class will compile and analyze survey results (October-December)
• Students will conduct and complete independent research concurrent with group work, but the majority of independent work will be completed Winter Quarter (January-March)
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