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The Planning Process Problem Definition - DSN: Residents of the area formed the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). The DSNI decided to divide the boundary streets into a core area and secondary areas, which are shown on the map. The Dudley Street area was described as an area that, "looked as if an earthquake had struck, leveling whole sections. Streets crisscross blocks of vacant lots where homes and shops used to be… The earthquake that hit Dudley was neither natural nor sudden. Instead, in a pattern repeated nationally, a thriving urban community was trashed and burned. It was redlined by banks, government mortgage programs and insurance companies in a self-fulfilling prophecy of White flight, devaluation and decline…" (Medoff, 1) In defining the problems of the Dudley Street area students from a community college took a survey of the residents and students in the area. The top problems expressed by the people were housing and arson. The survey report cites that, "Poor street lighting, rats, lack of garbage collection, abandoned cars all add to the impression of an extremely depressed area, in which islands of freshly-painted, spruced up homes and apartment buildings may be found." (Medoff, 37) One woman in the survey findings said, "Our family has seen it all happen. They tore down house after house. They talked about urban renewal and they built those… infill houses. We didn't see any renewal. We saw a catastrophe." (Medoff, 37-38) |
