Monon neighborhood livability study

ABSTRACT

This livability study is a comprehensive investigation into the Monon Neighborhood’s well-being in order to support evidence-based decision making at the city level and by the Faith Community Development Corporation. We aim to provide a holistic picture of the livability of the Monon Neighborhood, located in Lafayette, Indiana, by understanding the factors that make up well-being for the residents of the neighborhood. We have gathered information about each of these factors from sources including interviews with residents, oral histories, neighborhood and property condition surveys, census data, and other data sets, especially the Polk Directory. Some practicable goals set by the implications of this study include the generation of a neighborhood association, an increase in resident retention, and identification of physical areas of improvement within the city that future funding could solve.

KEYWORDS:

• Livability
• community well-being
• data-driven decisions

Acknowledgements

Research Supervisor

Dr. Jason Ware has been an integral part of conducting this work as he has provided an endless wealth of information as well as support for all of the researchers involved. Dr. Ware assisted tremendously in the curation and organization of this study through his understanding and connections with both community partners and neighborhood leaders. His support and guidance throughout this study allowed for better analysis and a stronger outcome overall.

Monon Residents and Community Leaders

It is abundantly clear that this study would not be complete without the invaluable input of residents and community leaders within Monon who graciously gave up their time to provide insights into what life is like in the Monon Neighborhood. Being able to gain a bigger perspective of the livability of the neighborhood through qualitative analysis techniques of participants’ interviews was key in creating a holistic picture of well-being. Ideally, their sacrifice of time and effort will be paid back in the form of the strategic improvements for their neighborhood that result in the utilization of this study.

Purdue Honors College

The Purdue Honors College also provided tremendous support of this study through the provision of the course HONR 49900 - Well-Being, taught by Dr. Jason Ware. This service-learning course was the primary reason for the curation of this study and in turn provided the resources for community partners to generate projects such as this.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).