South Phoenix Identity & Landscape Survey

As we pulled into the run down neighborhood, we met two men changing the fuel injectors on their van. We found them to be quite friendly and although new to the area they were quite willing to give us their thoughts on their new neighborhood located at Hazel Drive and 7th Place. They said the neighborhood of older homes is made up of typically Hispanics and African Americans unlike the new housing development just on the other side of the street which is inhabited predominantly by Caucasians. They found the neighborhood generally friendly, however there is lots of crime.

No one could tell us for sure when the homes in the older neighborhood were built, but judging from the block and ranch-style of the homes and duplexes we estimate construction to have been around the 1960’s and 70’s. Although it seems that all of the duplexes have been repainted within the last five years, the neighborhood in general appears to be run down and not very well maintained. The duplexes are approximately 800 sq. feet and according to the people we interviewed, there were anywhere from one to three families per household and paying rent of $400 to $600 a month on average.

The yards are barren and look as though someone had half – heartedly attempted desert landscaping. We found virtually no yard barriers or yard art with the exception of the individualized mailboxes many of which looked like they where there long before the houses. For example, the mailboxes are rusty, beaten and some barely hanging on to the post on which they rest. There are no garages, carports or even driveways, just dirt lots or curbs in which to park the vehicles. With the absence of any yard barriers, (except for the occasional telephone pole or large rocks that are sometimes found between houses) the only separation between the houses and duplexes is barren land and litter. The biggest resemblance we found between these homes and the new subdivision across the street (new hood) s the fact that the neighborhood houses (old neighborhood) seemed pretty much to be all of the same colors, white and beige.
All though the area is poor, unkempt, and riddled with litter, the upside is that we met some friendly people who offered us a car wash “Ghetto Style” as they call it anyway. We found that the older neighbor hood had much more activity then the newer neighborhood just as it was mentioned in our readings "Even so, this neighborhood had a higher degree of outdoor activity than any other we studied." (Blake and Arreola 1996). The people are friendly and the kids ran around playing in the dirt lots and littered streets, seemingly without a care in the world.

Comparison of old and new hood comparison