ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

George Hobor, a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said the connection of geography and local conditions to health can be gauged by ever-emerging ways of gathering data.

“We funded a project in Atlanta looking at hospital admissions for injuries due to violence.  We tracked injuries resulting from violence on street, in parks, in public places and compared them to police reports,” he said.

“It shows how accurate is crime reporting.  It revealed a gap in reported versus actual incidents. 

People have an idea of what spaces are dangerous, but with the data – we can chart things to do, we can identify things to fix in a specific area.”

Based on data, RWJF has invested tens of millions of dollars in community development projects. 

The grants pay for restoring and empowering areas as small as a single block or half block. Improved socio-economic standing and access to healthy living has a positive impact on those communities – proven by data.

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

George Hobor, a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, noted that people don’t spend their entire day in their home neighborhood, so cell phone data can show where a person spends the day and how that could impact their health.

 

“During COVID, you could even use cell phone data to see how well distancing was practiced,” he said. 

“Twitter data can be used, as people develop ways to use it to track eating habits, socializing – combine it with survey results and you get a feel for how geography impacts health.”

 

 

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

RWJF’s Place Matters program in Cuyahoga County – home county of Cleveland, ravaged by job loss and housing stock deterioration -- funded partnerships focused on eliminating health disparities. 

The initiative defined health not as the absence of disease, but “where people live, work, learn, age and play. 

Health includes the social conditions one lives in, such as the jobs we do, the money we're paid, the schools we attend and the neighborhoods we live in, as well as our genes, our behaviors and our medical care.”

Statistics showed chilling numbers in the City of East Cleveland. Its poverty rate was 32 percent and the heart disease mortality rates was 32 percent higher than that of the nation. 

Taking a holistic approach, the team hosted two land use summits focused on integrating of health and equity into land use planning and community development decision-making.

 

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Place Matters program has looked at health disparities and the impact of racism in dozens of communities.

 

“When we saw in highly segregated areas, life expectancies in the mid-50s, but in the 80s at an affluent area right next door, we explored community development,” said George Hobor, a Senior Program Officer at RWJF.

“We wanted to look at statistics to help us answer the question of how do we best invest in communities that have been disinvested in?”

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

 TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

“From my perspective of a public health researcher, investments that could improve health behaviors – such as building grocery stores, increasing exercise opportunities and discouraging smoking – could also increase life expectancy,” Jessica Owens-Young wrote, sharing how data can identify zip codes and neighborhoods in need of initiatives.

“Policies that promote economic prosperity and address the impacts of racial segregation – such as investments in quality education, safe and affordable housing, and improved public transportation – could also help.”

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is a foundation focused on access to health care, public health, health equity, leadership and training, and changing systems to address barriers to health. 

With an endowment of $13 billion, the Princeton, New Jersey-based philanthropic organization has been using data to target community-focused grants for decades.

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

“Neighborhoods with large black populations tend to have lower life expectancies than communities that are majority white, Hispanic or Asian. 

Such racial differences reflect the places in which different races live, not the individual characteristics of people themselves,” she reveals. 

“Research shows that black communities are less likely to have access to resources that promote health, like grocery stores with fresh foods, places to exercise and quality health facilities.

This is true even in middle-class neighborhoods.”

Research from the Census Bureau and researchers at Harvard and Brown universities shows children from places that are economically disadvantaged tend to have worse outcomes as adults. 

Jessica Owens-Young reports that research also proves that where local government spending is higher, life expectancies increase among those with lower incomes.

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS 

Jessica Owens-Young, Assistant Professor of Health Studies at the American University, wrote her interpretation of data showed that at the neighborhood level, longevity differences are sometimes even more drastic, appearing even when communities are only a few miles apart.

“In Washington, D.C., for example, people living in the Barry Farms neighborhood face a life expectancy of 63.2 years. Yet, less than 10 miles away, a baby born in Friendship Heights and Friendship Village can expect to live 96.1 years, according to CDC data,” she stated.

Owens-Young concludes land use, public policy and civic neglect as causes that leave black populations without the amenities needed to live long, healthy lives.

ANALYZING ZIP CODE DATA

TO EXPOSE HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TARGET SOLUTIONS

Being born in the wrong ZIP code can shorten your life – is the jarring headline in a story about disparity published in The Conversation by Jessica Owens-Young, Assistant Professor of Health Studies at the American University.

 

The average live expectancy in the U.S. is 78.8 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

“However, life expectancy varies widely across geography. A child born in Mississippi today could expect to never reach his or her 75th birthday. 

But a child born in California, Hawaii or New York could expect to reach their expect to live into the early 80s,” Owens-Young wrote. 

The Winners of ZeroThreshold Design Competition -- Part 5

NCCH Design Challenge Aimed At Creating Most Innovative, Visually Appealing And Forward-Thinking Barrier-Free Designs For Living

Best Hybrid Design and Grand Prize Winner: Side By Side

Brandt : Haferd of NY, NY won the award for Best Hybrid Design and the overall Grand Prize for Best Design, totaling $10,000. Jerome Haferd, a native Ohioan, was in attendance to accept the award.

Side By Side was a unique design that explored an intermix of public and private spaces. Prominent features included a public promenade, an integrated ramped garden, a roof top garden and a mix of private living and communal spaces in a home connected through a central double decker lift.

The jury felt the board presentation and the designers use of a highly detailed model, was playful and accessible. The solutions themselves we’re interesting and took an innovative look at how you might address the real complications and limitation of making an existing two-story home accessible.

Throughout the review of the competition, the jury was struck by how many of the designers, Brandt and Haferd included, incorporated a component of community into their designs. It’s a critical issue. There is a clear connection between lack of accessibility and social isolation. The fact that so many designers created the same connection is very promising indeed!

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Announcing-the-winners-.html?soid=1114973702310&aid=_IcaiUMeEhk

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/5/9/envisioning-a-barrier-free-city

The Winners of ZeroThreshold Design Competition -- Part 4

NCCH Design Challenge Aimed At Creating Most Innovative, Visually Appealing And Forward-Thinking Barrier-Free Designs For Living

The Evening's Favorite:  Carson's Home

Nearly 200 attendees at the awards event reviewed the designs and voted on their favorite.

Their pick was Carson's Home by Trevor Kinnard, who had traveled with his family from WI to Cleveland just for the event. 

The design was a case study on a home for Kinnard's brother who experienced a traumatic brain injury nearly 18 years ago.

It left Carson with limited mobility and independence. 

The design promotes movement and exploration throughout the home and features a special interactive display wall, which Carson could use for his shoe collection - but could be enjoyed by anyone!

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Announcing-the-winners-.html?soid=1114973702310&aid=_IcaiUMeEhk

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/5/9/envisioning-a-barrier-free-city

The Winners of ZeroThreshold Design Competition -- Part 3

NCCH Design Challenge Aimed At Creating Most Innovative, Visually Appealing And Forward-Thinking Barrier-Free Designs For Living 

Most Innovative Interior Architecture : All Access Home

While "Interior Architecture" was not initially a category, the design details and innovation of the All Access Home caught the jurors' attention. 

The integration of ramping throughout the home, the focus on details and the activity of daily living (from cubbies for storage to an innovative solution for taking out the trash) made the design stand out. 

The use of differing elevations within the home also created opportunities for wheelchair users to experience different perspectives and eye levels when interacting with others. 

These are changes in perspective that those who can easily vary their stance height might take for granted. 

Julia McMorrough, an Associate Professor at Taubman College in MI won $3,000 for her design.

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Announcing-the-winners-.html?soid=1114973702310&aid=_IcaiUMeEhk

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/5/9/envisioning-a-barrier-free-city

The Winners of ZeroThreshold Design Competition -- Part 2

NCCH Design Challenge Aimed At Creating Most Innovative, Visually Appealing And Forward-Thinking Barrier-Free Designs For Living

Best Overall Student Design AND Innovative Accessory Dwelling Concept : InBTwin

Students from the University of Trento in Italy, won $2,000 for this innovative design.

InBTwin proposed using the space between homes to create a shared accessory dwelling space with ramp and lift systems. 

The spaces could be used for greenhouses, dining, or other activities. This also created the opportunity to turn two homes into multi-family units.

In addition to the best student design, the jurors felt the promise of the design and the overall concept was worthy for consideration in the professional category for Best Accessory Dwelling.

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Announcing-the-winners-.html?soid=1114973702310&aid=_IcaiUMeEhk

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/5/9/envisioning-a-barrier-free-city

The Winners of ZeroThreshold Design Competition -- Part 1

NCCH Design Challenge Aimed At Creating Most Innovative, Visually Appealing And Forward-Thinking Barrier-Free Designs For Living

Honorable Mention: Best Planning Project AND 

McGregor Home's People's Choice: The Link

Congratulations to the team of Dahlin Group Architecture and Planning in CA.

The jury felt the design was well researched and buildable. They appreciated the approach to creating an intergenerational community and that it got all of us thinking that one solution to accessibility might be changing the way we live.

The Link featured a selection of specially designed homes around a central shared space, with greenhouse and other features.

Each of the homes were designed to the different needs and lifestyles of a mixed community – from the single college student to the young family to the single retired senior.

Nearly 70 people from the preview exhibit at McGregor Home in August voted for this design as their favorite.

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Announcing-the-winners-.html?soid=1114973702310&aid=_IcaiUMeEhk

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/5/9/envisioning-a-barrier-free-city

180,000 READERS OF THIS BLOG

MORE THAN THE DAILY READERSHIP OF THE AVERAGE BIG CITY NEWSPAPER

Daily, for more than 5 years, we bring original images and text about Urban Design, Universal Design, Disability Advocacy, Travel, Human Rights and Livable Cities.

The image above is taken from the Centre Pompidou in central Paris.

We usually don't like post modernist buildings, but the Renzo Piano-Richard Rogers is a winner because its guts are on the outside -- showing people all the mechanicals that make up a huge building.

The Centre is popular with children and families, so they all learn from the architectural and engineering elements outside the 1977 edifice.

Contextually, in the neighborhood, it is a bit of a monster.

The view below, of course, is of the Eiffel Tower and typically Parisian rooftops.

The new header photo for our blog is Montmartre, dominated by the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur, and home over the years to Picasso, Pissarro, Monet, Degas, Toulouose-Lautrec and other Belle Epoque artists.

We hope our 180,000 unique visitors enjoy our blend of advocacy, photography and whimsy.

BUCKLAND MUSEUM

OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAJICK

In 1976, Raymond Buckland moved to New Hampshire where he opened the museum from 1977 to 1980. 

Unfortunately, because of a rigorous writing and lecture schedule, he then had to place the museum collection into storage, where it remained for a number of years.

The museum collection was briefly reestablished in New Orleans in 1999 where it passed through multiple hands before being salvaged by Rev. Velvet Reith.  

A bit damaged and somewhat reduced collection, Velvet was instrumental in preventing the collection from degrading further and being lost.

Summer hours are Tuesday: 5pm – 7 pm, Thursday: 5pm – 7 pm, Friday: 5pm – 8pm, Saturday: 12pm – 8 pm. 

If you can’t make it during those hours please email bucklandmuseum@gmail.com for an appointment.

Admission is $5.

http://bucklandmuseum.org/

BUCKLAND MUSEUM

OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAJICK

The museum was in existence for ten years in this New York location (1966-1976). 

During that time, it was featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles and was the subject of a television documentary. 

The New York Times, New York Post, Newsday, Look Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Scholastic Voice, and many more, including foreign magazines, had featured articles about the museum. 

Raymond was also interviewed on a large number of radio stations and both national and international television. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art requested and featured some of the pieces in one of its special exhibits.

http://bucklandmuseum.org/

BUCKLAND MUSEUM

OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAJICK

Raymond Buckland started The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick in 1966. 

After visiting the late Gerald Gardner and his collection on the Isle of Man, Raymond was inspired to start a collection of his own. 

While working for British Airways, he was able to acquire many of the artifacts in this collection from all around the world.

He initially displayed his museum on a few shelves in the basement of his Long Island, N.Y. home. 

However, over time, Raymond’s witchcraft collection rapidly grew to well over 500 artifacts, ranging from Ancient Egyptian ushabti’s to documented artifacts from the Salem Witch trials. 

This was the first museum of its kind in the United States with an anthropological approach to the world of folklore and the supernatural.

http://bucklandmuseum.org/

BUCKLAND MUSEUM

OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAJICK

"There are no curses or love spells done here," Slane says. "We are a place of educating people about the collection and the history, and also celebrating the First Amendment. 

That's a really important part of our mission because of the persecution that Wiccans have felt in the past. People get labeled because of their religion or culture, and we want to be a place where it's safe to talk about that."

Gardnerian witchcraft, she notes, follows a very "do no harm to others" mantra.

Most people, Slane says, are just happy they can see the museum's artifacts for themselves.

"We get a lot of people who are just really comfortable in here being surrounded by these things. We try to keep it pretty cozy. Some say 'I'm surrounded by my ancestors here.' They feel at home."

-- Cleveland.com

http://bucklandmuseum.org/

BUCKLAND MUSEUM

OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAJICK

While the curious are sure to pop into the museum on a whim, the Buckland continues to attract members of the pagan community from right here in Northeast Ohio. One reason, beyond the history: Its open and welcoming environment.

"All kinds of people come in here, and we hear a lot of them say, 'I don't tell people about my beliefs because I'm afraid of what they'll think," Slane says. "The space offers a non-dogmatic platform for them to express themselves." 

The Buckland has been so popular that they're hoping to expand to the back of the shop early next year.

It would give them an opportunity to host more events, from seances to book signings to lectures. 

But their first focus will always be bringing information to the public and fighting stigma.

-- Cleveland.com

http://bucklandmuseum.org/

BUCKLAND MUSEUM

OF WITCHCRAFT AND MAJICK

Aleister Crowley's trident wand, ceremonial bowl and oil lamp are among the most popular with tourists. 

Though he was more of a magician and writer than a witch, his name draws visitors regularly.

"There are Crowley scholars and fanatics everywhere," Slane says.

A small trinket sits on a lower cabinet shelf. The otherwise unsuspecting artifact reads "demon in a box." According to Buckland, he and a friend trapped a demon in 1970.

"Ray was always very serious about not opening it," Slane says. "He told us, 'People are going to offer you money. Don't do it.' Two days later, someone offered us $500."

-- Cleveland.com

http://bucklandmuseum.org/