The Major Problem Affecting Pilsen Community and the Solutions of This Problem - Thesis Example

Urban sociology The Problem The major problem affecting Pilsen Community is poverty. This problem has been causedand has caused by various social problems including influx of immigrants, rising housing needs, high costs of living, displacement of low income earners, low income, unemployment, and unmet fundamental needs (University of Illinois, n.d.). These problems have led to high poverty levels in the community alongside poverty, there are also other social problems associated with the Pilsen Community like any other low-income urban centers. Some of those social problems include high levels of violence and abandonment of residence. The problem of poverty in Pilsen Community has been compounded by deteriorating housing stock and high levels of violence, making lives for the residents to become extremely difficult (University of Illinois, n.d.). Children in this community face a lot of challenges. Others go to school late, others lack the basic needs of school and others drop out of school early. Research on the Pilsen community conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago indicates that the community has one of the most housing in the city. The research shows that 87% of its housing units were constructed before 1939. In fact, some of the houses were constructed in 1877 (University of Illinois, n.d.). Research also suggests that the population of the Pilsen community amounts to more than half of the entire city. This shows that the city is generally inhabited with a lot of poor people. Research also shows that 70% of adults in the Pilsen community did not complete ninth grade (University of Illinois, n.d.). This has led to low mastery of language and necessary skills to get good jobs. As a result, children go to school late. The University of Illinois research also indicates that 65% of children leave school (University of Illinois, n.d.). This reduces their chances of participation in the workforce in future. The history of poverty in Pilsen community owes itself to the influx of immigrants to Chicago in 1990s, most of whom were illegal, and the changes that occurred in urban economies as a result of housing boom that took place in the 1990s (University of Illinois, n.d.). The housing boom caused the value of real estate to increase significantly. This increased the problem of poverty in Pilsen community. The increased value of real estate displaced low income earners who could not afford the rental prices of houses (University of Illinois, n.d.). This problem started with the members of Pilsen community within the central business district of the city. Nowadays, real estate speculation has spread into the outskirts of the city and caused a decrease in affordable houses in the neighborhoods. This problem is relevant in the study of urban sociology because it is essentially necessary to study its causes and effects in order to find its solutions. The problem causes poor standards of living among members of the community; it makes them to unable to meet their fundamental needs. Poverty is relevant in any society; it is a social problem that needs policy implementation and key concern from the government and the society because it leads to poor growth and development of the economy. Policy Proposal The main solution of this problem is to provide the people with the support and tools they need to improve their lives. The people should not be provided with the end product but the means to achieve the end (Krugman and Wells, 2009). The tools that the people need include economic liberalization, capital, infrastructure, social amenities and technology. The support the society needs includes building opportunities for self-sufficiency, helping farmers, and subsidizing small businesses. Economic liberalization entails extension of property rights to the poor. Economic freedom for the people of Pilsen community is enhanced through securing property rights to land. This will solve the problem of housing. Capital should also be increased in the city including human capital. Human capital can be enhanced by improving people’s health and education. Schools should be opened for adults in order to improve their skills so that they can get employment and earn good wages to support their families (Walton, 1993). Health facilities should also be well equipped and subsidized to make health services affordable. Infrastructure such as roads and also electricity should be improved in order to enhance good economic activities. This support and tools can be provided by the state and the government as a way of helping its people to improve their lives and boost the economy This policy can be justified by the classical theories of urban socially developed by Marx Webber. Webber suggests that the city can be explained in terms of political and administrative factors (Jayaram, 2010). Therefore, solutions to the problem of poverty should come from political and administrative class – the state and the government. Webber also suggests that a good urban city should be developed through trade-commercial relations. This can be enhanced through economic liberation as suggested by this report. Webber further argues that an urban city should have a court of its own and at least partially autonomous law (Merrifield, 2002). This also enhances economic liberalization. Conclusion It is clear that the main problem of Pilsen community is poverty. This problem has been caused by increasing value of real estate and expensive housing. As a result of poverty, people in the community lack the basic needs of life and children do not afford to go to school until completion. Adults lack skills needed to get good jobs. To overcome this problem, the state should be involved through economic liberalization and provision of capital; social amenities and technology to enable people improve their lives. The thesis of this paper is that the state should allow its people to improve their lives by providing social capital in form of good education and good health. References list Krugman, P. and Wells, R. (2009). Macroeconomics. New York City: Worth Publishers Jayaram, N. (2010). Revisiting the City: The Relevance of Urban Sociology Today. Economic and Political Weekly, 45, 35. Merrifield, A. (2002). Metromarxism: A Marxist Tale of the City. New York: Routledge. University of Illinois (n.d.). Neighborhoods: Pilsen (Lower West). Accessed April 19, 2014 from http://www.uicni.org/page.php?section=neighborhoods&subsection=pilsen Walton, J. (1993). Urban Sociology: the Contribution and Limits of Political Economy. Annual Review of Sociology, 19, 301-320. Read More