Ecosystems perspective assessment of Scarsdale, New York

¶ … Neighborhood as Community: Scarsdale, New York

With a per capita income of $113,000, a median household income of $230,750, a median sales price of a single-family home of $1.34 million and one of the leading school districts in the state, the Village of Scarsdale is a relatively exclusive suburb of New York City that has a poverty level that even other affluent communities envy. Using an ecosystems perspective, this paper provides a review of the literature as well as online government resources to describe the demographics, available social networks, income and wealth distribution, an assessment of the educational resources, housing, health and welfare issues, as well as formal and informal control systems. An ecosystems perspective merges general systems theory and ecology to provide insights concerning the interactions between individuals and various aspects of their social environment (Tangenberg, 2009) to determine adaptations of the neighborhood over time, the interface of the neighborhood with the adjoining areas, the demographics of current residents and the capacity of the neighborhood to meet the changing needs of the population. A summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues and Scarsdale are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Analysis

Demographics

In 2006, Scarsdale's population stood at 17,886 (Brenner, 2008); by 2010, the population had dropped slightly to 17,166 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). The Village of Scarsdale has White Plains to the northeast, Greenburgh to the northwest, Mamaroneck to the southeast, and New Rochelle and Eastchester to the south/southwest (see political map at Appendix A) (Brenner, 2008). A breakdown of Scarsdale's most recent demographic estimates is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Demographic breakdown of Scarsdale, New York

Category

Scarsdale

New York State

Population, 2010

17,166

19,378,102

Persons under 5 years, percent, 2010

5.7%

6.0%

Persons under 18 years, percent, 2010

33.7%

22.3%

Persons 65 years and over, percent, 2010

13.9%

13.5%

Female persons, percent, 2010

51.3%

51.6%

White alone, percent, 2010 (a)

82.7%

65.7%

Black or African-American alone, percent, 2010 (a)

1.5%

15.9%

American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2010 (a)

Z

0.6%

Asian alone, percent, 2010 (a)

13.0%

7.3%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent, 2010 (a)

Z

0.0%

Two or More Races, percent, 2010

1.9%

3.0%

Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2010 (b)

3.9%

17.6%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2010

79.5%

58.3%

Living in same house 1 year & over, percent, 2007-2011

92.0%

88.5%

Foreign born persons, percent, 2007-2011

21.4%

21.8%

(a)

Includes persons reporting only one race.

(b)

Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/3665431.html

As can be seen from the demographic breakdown in Table 1 above and depicted graphically in Figure 1 below, Scarsdale is a predominately white (but with a sizable Asian population), middle-aged, upper middle-class community.

Figure 1. Racial breakdown of Scarsdale, New York

Source: Scarsdale, New York (2013) at http://www.city-data.com/city/Scarsdale-New-York.html

Available social networks within the neighborhood

Formally established as a municipality in 1788 (Scarsdale history, 2013), the Village of Scarsdale has a long history of social networks. For instance, Scarsdale's first neighborhood association, the Heathcote Association, was established in 1904 as well as the Neighborhood Association and the Town Club (the predecessor of the Town and Village Civic Club) that year (Scarsdale history, 2013). Following the end of World War I, the Scarsdale Woman's Club was organized and a year later, in 1919, this social network began publishing the prizing-winning newspaper, The Scarsdale Inquirer which remained in publication for 40 years (Scarsdale history, 2013). Two years later, a Scarsdale chapter of the League of Women Voters was established and collaboration on a regular basis with the Public Affairs committee of the Scarsdale Woman's Club (History of Scarsdale, 2013).

Today, other social networks exist for parents with children and a wide range of recreational and extracurricular educational and avocational programs are offered in the community (Brenner, 2008). In addition, according to the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale, "Many residents have given and continue to give their time and talents to serve Scarsdale by accepting positions as Mayor, Village and School Board members and as leaders of over 80 organizations" (History of Scarsdale, 2013, para. 4). There are also formal social networks in place for senior citizens in Scarsdale sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation, including "Terrific Tuesdays -- a Scarsdale Senior program of trips, lectures, and 'get-togethers' on Tuesday mornings" (Senior adult programs, 2013, para. 2).

Income and wealth distribution as well as disparities within the community

As shown in Table 2 below, Scarsdale is an affluent community where residents earn fully four times the New York state average. Not surprisingly, the low poverty rate and relatively small population mean that there are fewer than 400 people in Scarsdale who live below the poverty level. The per capita money income, median household income and persons living below the poverty level for Scarsdale are presented in Table 2 below.

Table 2

Income and wealth distribution

Category

Scarsdale

New York State

Per capita money income in the past 12 months (2011 dollars), 2007-2011

$112,964

$31,796

Median household income, 2007-2011

$230,750

$56,951

Persons below poverty level, percent, 2007-2011

2.3%

14.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013 at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/3665431.html

The foregoing per capita money income, median household income and persons living below the poverty level for Scarsdale presented in Table 2 above are depicted graphically in Figures 2 through 4 below.

Figure 2. Per Capita Income -- Past 12 Months (2001-2007): Scarsdale vs. New York State

Figure 3. Median Household Income Past 12 Months: Scarsdale vs. New York State

Figure 4. Percentage of Persons Below Poverty Level -- Scarsdale vs. New York State

Given these impressive statistics, it is reasonable to suggest that social workers in Scarsdale are hard-pressed to find clients, and even harder pressed to find young people lacking for educational opportunities, and these issues are discussed further below.

Housing

The 6.64-square mile Village of Scarsdale has 5,200 residential lots and few vacant lots (Brenner, 2008). Because land is at a premium, the majority of construction activity in recent years has involved refurbishments and renovations (Brenner, 2008). At $1.34 million, the median sales price of a single-family home in Scarsdale is more than twice the Westchester County median of $622,500 (Brenner, 2008). A report from Scarsdale's building inspector, Nunzio Pietrosanti, indicates that, "The majority of new construction has taken place on estate land that is subdivided, or on oversized lots, where the original house is torn down and two are built in its place" (cited in Brenner, 2008, para. 4). In 2007, 12 houses were demolished to make way for new construction, an increase from nine in 2006 (Brenner). Almost identical numbers of permits for alternations, additions expansions were reported in 2006 and 2007, 667 and 668, respectively (Brenner, 2008).

Housing prices have declined slightly in recent years following the subprime mortgage meltdown, but prices still remain high. For instance, Brenner reports that, "The current median home sales price of $1.34 million is down from $1.445 million a year ago, but still significantly higher than the $995,500 that it was in 2003" (2008, para. 4). Co-ops have also experienced comparable declines in prices in recent years. For example, in 2003, the median sales price for a co-op was $175,000, versus $245,000 in 2007 and $220,000 in 2008 (Brenner). Compared to the U.S. cost of living average of 100, Scarsdale's current cost of living index of 167.2 is rated very high (Scarsdale, 2013).

Health and welfare systems with particular attention to access to resources

There are currently about 100 tertiary healthcare facilities located in or close to Scarsdale (Hospitals in or near Scarsdale, 2013). In addition, as noted above, Scarsdale is home to a sizeable population of Asian residents, many of them Japanese business executive and their families (Shulasmith & Ashenberg, 2011). In response to the unique cultural need of these communities, Shulamith and Ashenberg (2011) report that, "Two medical practices have been opened by major New York hospitals, Beth Israel Medical Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center" (p. 137). Although staffed by full-time U.S. dentists and physicians, these medical practices are supplemented by regular visits from Japanese doctors and dentists (Shulasmith & Ashenberg, 2011). According to Shulasmith and Ashenberg, "The medical practitioners are trained to be alert to certain disorders that are common among Japanese patients, such as stomach cancer. The assistants and administrators, who are Japanese, provide a bridge between patients and doctors and their respective cultures" (2011, p. 137). The adjunct Japanese doctors and dentists also provide translation services in order to obtain medical histories, they also help education the American staff concerning Japanese expectations regarding culturally sensitive medical treatment (Shulamith & Ashenberg, 2001).

Social Control (formal and informal) within the community

A windshield survey of Scarsdale shows that its streets are clean, the sidewalks are spotless, windows are clean and everyone stops at the street corners and waits for the light to change in their favor. No one jaywalks. The few vacant lots are free of rubbish and contain signage concerning future plans for their use. In addition, the Village of Scarsdale maintains a modern police force that was one of the first in the state to receive formal State Accreditation (Scarsdale Police Department State and National Accreditation Programs, 2013).