Investing in youth for community well-being : the case of the Fruitvale in Oakland, CA

摘要

In this thesis I explore how youth spatially perceive their environment in the Fruitvale, an inner city neighborhood in Oakland, California. Through my fieldwork I created a visual map of how youth view their spaces in the neighborhood and what constraints are being imposed on their space with little consideration. In studying the spatial patterns of youth my goal was to uncover the extent to which spatial constraints might be affecting their opportunities for positive development and integration into the neighborhood. I explored their situation within the context of a harsh-on-crime political climate in California over the past fifteen years. In the case of the Fruitvale historical economic and population shifts leading to the concentration of poverty, have caused the creation of informal aggressive subcultures involving drugs, gangs and prostitution. These have grown to dominate youth space on the street and have had large implications on safety. The lack of neighborhood safety is limiting the way youth use space, further limiting their access to greater neighborhood services which can potentially provide them with the support that they need to develop in positive ways and in their transition to adulthood.