(c) 1998 Eastern Humanities
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L
ow-income neighborhoods in D.C., especially in the
Southeast/Anacostia region, are currently facing several problems. This
includes many building faults, some of which are dangerous, poorly lit
areas, rampant crime, et cetera.
One of the major problems in these neighborhoods, particularly in government-funded areas, is that landlords cannot screen tenants and turn down potential criminals and/or troublemakers. The government has little incentive to rectify some of the problems in these neighborhoods, because of the lack of business, bad reputation among voters, lack of tax base, and lack of mixed classes. In the past, several attempts were made to correct the problems of low-income neighborhoods. In 1949, the Urban Redevelopment Agency was established to help clean up the slums and revitalize inner city areas. Later, in 1977, the Community Reinvestment Act was implemented, requiring banks to help meet the credit needs of the whole community. To help prevent crime in areas like this, the idea of defensible space was put into action. This changed the layout of apartment buildings' property to minimize potential for crime and increase the safety of tenants. This has been implemented in many cities around the country and has proved effective in Potomac Gardens (DC) and Five Oaks (Dayton, OH). To sum it all
up, the major problems of many D.C. low-income neighborhoods are building
faults, crime, and lack of community/government involvement. Click on "Statement"
to see how we intend to change this.
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