Urban Living, Article Review Example

Urban living presents different challenges to different members of the community. This is especially true when the concept of economic disparity among the residents living together in one area. In Diane Levy’s (et al, 2010) research on the Effects form Living in Mixed-Income Communities for Low-Income Families, a presentation of such disparity is considered accordingly. In this research, the authors intended to conduct an investigation on how low-income level families are surviving especially as they deal with higher-income level families in their own communities. Seeing how the competition grows and the depression sinks in to those who cannot join in the competition. Examining the point of struggle that these families have to deal with, this research intends to create a referential pattern by which families from different incomes are seen to have an effect on the behavior and perception of the lower-earning families as they tend to survive acquiring their basic needs each day.

To be able to establish a strong sense of observation, the researchers intended to create a comparison between elements of scale and intend, income and tenure, and the concept of sustainability as they support the establishment of the different components of mixed-income housing operations. It is considered in the study that mixed income considerations on housing do not only allow the higher-earning families to gain access to their dreams of having their own house. Instead, these operations or programs also open opportunities for the low-level-earning families to become more open to options of investing their time and effort in getting a house of their own. However, it turns out that no matter how open the programs may have been for the public, the pressures still remain real for the low-income families.

The supposed support that the low-level earning families would get from their higher-earning counterparts is often taken over by the fact that humans have the desire to reach the level of their fellowmen. Elements of social depression and disappointment often become the core reason why the low-income families do not get as much benefit as possible from the programs offered to them because of particular human elements causing them to deny themselves of what the government and their fellow-community-members are willing to offer them with. Overall, no matter how much the researchers tried to look positively on the situation, it remained real that the primary problem on such support-system between members of the society is affected so much by human behavior issues.

Overall, the presentation of details that the researchers have used to present their ideas and their discussion in the study was effective enough to convey the message that urban living could offer several positive effects on the living condition of the people, while also affecting others negatively at the same time. Practically, the proposal of having people support each other in an economically diversified community is rather utopian in nature; hence making it seem to be more impossible than realizable especially on the part of those who are living under the shade of the higher-earning families.

Low-leveled income families are often found to have struggled so much to reach to the standards of their neighbors and other individuals they are connected with in the community. In a way, it is because of the concept of affective human behavior that often puts the concept of social camaraderie as suggested in the study in direct jeopardy. This is what makes the study realistic and reflective of the truth that is happening in the society at present. It is rather comforting to know that the researchers did not push for something radical enough to prove their point, instead, they relied on what they have seen, what they have observed and made sure that such information would be passed on to their readers, hopefully creating a distinct course of realization that could change how matters evolve in the society.

Reference

Levy, D.; McDade, Z. and Dumlao, K. (2010). Effects from living in mixed-income communities for low-income families. http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412292-effects-from-living.pdf. ( ( ( ( Retrieved on September 25, 2014).