Research Assignment: Windshield Survey Community Assessment

Windshield Survey/ Community Assessment
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Introduction
Whittier is a neighbourhood in the South of Minneapolis. It is bounded by Franklin Avenue, Interstate 35W, Lyndale Avenue South and Lake Street (Whittier Alliance, kein Datum). The number of people that make up the neighbourhood is about 14,000 (Minneapolis, 2016). The historical landmark of Whittier is the Nicollet Avenue Commercial Corridor that is also called the East Street. It has a multicultural dining option from Vietnamese, Chinese, Somali, Caribbean, American and Middle Eastern, with diverse ethnic restaurants and groceries. Whittier is also referred to as the east street neighbourhood. The other avenues like Lyndale, Franklin, Lake Street and the 26th are also commercial corridors that other neighbourhoods share. The commercial corridors are dense and this is what attracts people to Whittier especially during the summer.
This neighbourhood is very vibrant and multicultural and it sits on the slogan “The international Neighbourhood.” In addition to commerce and its multicultural base, it is a home for arts and artists in Minneapolis for over a century now (Whittier Alliance, kein Datum). The purpose of this windshield survey in Whittier is to complete an environmental scan on the community and target the Hispanics population and their vulnerability to diabetes mellitus.
Population demographics
According to the 2010 census of population and Housing in Minneapolis, the general population of Minneapolis is approximately 382,578. Non-Hispanic white are the majority population composing of about 60%, then blacks of about18.3% and Hispanics about 10.3% (Minneapolis, 2016). With the windshield survey, the Whittier population composition is similar to that of the whole of Minneapolis. Whites make up the majority of the people followed by blacks, then the Hispanics and other races and ethnic groups make up the least. From what could be seen, majority of the population is made up of the youth of approximately 18 to 30 years.
Windshield survey findings
Whittier is an established neighbourhood majorly due to commercial corridors on the streets with the famous East Street as the dominant commercial hub. Pictures taken of the community clinic, restaurant, art centre and some houses along Whittier neighbourhood revealed that the community`s core is multicultural due to the existence of ethnic restaurants. The community has love for art and they have access to health care with the main source being the community clinic. The physical environment of Whittier looked busy, not many green spaces apart from those in institutions.
Diabetes is the major problem in the community from the advertisements of diabetes mellitus awareness and concern for the community to go through examinations and tests. In addition, the vulnerable population is the older Hispanics. There exists various places of employment like shops, stores, and office spaces. There are also recreational facilities like the art centres, good transportation and communication network that allows for access to health care. There is government support for creating awareness of diabetes and its prevention. English is spoken by a majority o...