Windshield Survey Project

Tampa is one of the most populous cities in Florida. With a population of above 400,000, the city is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the US. Just like other areas of Florida, Tampa Bay is diverse. As per the 2020 consensus, Whites are the majority, followed by Hispanics and Blacks: Windshield Survey Project.

Multiracial communities account for 3.8% of the population. Tampa City scores favorably in several demographic parameters. The median household income in the city stands at 71,302 dollars. The poverty rate is 15.9%, the proportion of persons without insurance coverage is 12.5%, and those with a bachelor’s degree or higher are 44.6%. 28% of the residents of Tampa are multilingual.

East Tampa is one of the neighborhoods in Tampa. This paper reports a windshield survey of the East Tampa neighborhood, covering Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, N Nebraska Avenue, E Virginia Avenue, and North Tampa Street, among others.

The windshield survey covered the East Tampa neighborhood of Tampa City. The housing situation in the region is a blend of kept-up and run-down houses. The houses lining E Virginia Avenue were well kept, with properly manicured yards, bicycle lanes, and broad walkways.

The houses were also properly organized with wide and well-lit access routes. However, there were traces of run-down areas closer to the industrial complexes. In these areas and along some parts of the 308 M.L.K boulevard, the yards were overgrown and seemed to be finding little attention from the residents.

The majority of the buildings in East Tampa were occupied. A survey of the house types revealed cottages are preferred to other house types, with bungalows and ranch houses also dominating the housing type in the region. There were several apartment buildings currently under construction. Notwithstanding, several cottages around the industrial complexes were vacant. Some were also listed for sale.

There were several public spaces and parks in East Tampa. Some of the parks encountered during the survey include the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park and Orient Park. The parks are well-maintained and people-friendly. Likewise, they are easily accessible and in proximity to residential areas such as Belmont Heights.

Orient Park contains several amenities, such as basketball and tennis courts. There are also soccer fields within the park. This makes them utilizable by several people. On the day of the survey, the park was particularly crowded due to an ongoing community event.

East Tampa neighborhood is a notable culture and entertainment center. The survey revealed several libraries, monuments, theaters, and restaurants spread across the region. While they are easily accessible, it was difficult to establish a nexus between the structures and the culture of the residents.

The C. Blythe Andrews public library is one of the learning centers encountered during the tour. The Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is also another reputable entertainment area noted during the survey.

The streets in East Tampa are mostly lined with trees. There are also wide sidewalks along major roads. The sidewalks were well-maintained and clean.

Trash cans were also sighted along the roads, contributing to their cleanliness. Several people could also be seen jogging and walking along the sidewalks. The people were friendly, and some would even stop to talk about the area.

A survey of the business and industry environment in East Tampa revealed the area contains several retail stores. While the majority of the storefronts were occupied, at least one vacant storefronts was captured along E Virginia Avenue. The retail stores provided necessities such as medications and groceries, as there were several grocery-specific shops and drug stores scattered across the neighborhood. There are several fish industries in the region.

There is little evidence of public transportation in east Tampa. Throughout the survey period, no bus or rail line was seen. There were, however, several cars on the toured roads and highways. The traffic was moderate, with traffic congestion only noted at intersections.

There are several major roads near East Tampa. These are the I-275, I-75, and the Lee Roy Selmonexpressway. There are also bicycle lanes in east Tampa. Their use is, however, moderate, as only a handful was noted during the tour.

Public services were evident during the tour. The Instic Health, a mental health clinic found along the M.L.K boulevard, was easily seen during the tour. Other mental healthcare facilities identified include the BayCare Behavioral Health Management Center and the Tampa Therapy Center. Police centers and Fire stations were also nearby as signages of the same were identified.

Several religions are centered in East Tampa. During the tour, one mosque and two church buildings were seen, which may suggest that Christianity is the dominant religion in the area.

Subsequently, several health services are available in East Tampa, including mental healthcare centers, clinics, and hospitals. The largest identified during the tour stretches four blocks. The services are also easily accessible, as they are located along major roads.

Several K-12 schools exist in East Tampa. Two public K-12 schools were identified during the tour. The schools are well-maintained and accessible. No private or public two-or four-year college was seen during the tour.

Notably, East Tampa is a mixed-racial community. Notwithstanding, whites were the people who encountered the most during the tour. There were also traces of blacks and Hispanics.

A huge concentration of whites lived in more leafy and neat estates. The people encountered were also of mixed gender. They were also more individualistic, as everyone seemed to be minding their own business.

Overall, the East Tampa community represents the actual state of many American communities. This is demonstrated by apparent diversity, abundance of private cars on roads, and scarcity of public transportation. The areas seem to be safe and cognizant of pedestrians.

Conclusively, the community’s strengths include proximity to social and health services, an abundance of sidewalks supporting walking and cycling, and good housing. One of the notable challenges to the area is the high poverty line. About a third of the residents live below the poverty line and are likely to be faced with traditional problems such as poor access to healthcare. The most unexpected sighting was the excellent housing across the community.

For a region with a statistically high poverty rate, it was expected that run-down houses would be a common sighting. An aspect of the community that stood out during the interview was the high number of whites within the area. There were many culturally white walking and jogging compared to other cultures.

As a point of health promotion, encouraging the use of the provided walkways and parks for exercising purposes is vital. This will help improve the health outcomes of the residents of East Tampa.

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Windshield Survey Template

Windshield and walking surveys are useful ways to assess specific aspects of a community or neighborhood and help give you a sense of the community.

Conduct your survey at the time that works best for your schedule, but keep in mind that to truly understand the people who live within the community (or neighborhood), you may wish to do the survey more than once, and at different times of the day or different days of the week. For the purposes of this course, you are not required to do the survey more than once. Conduct a windshield survey of the neighborhood where you live, work, or have your community health nursing clinical experience.

Please be mindful of your personal safety. If there is a known issue with hostility between specific groups, it may not be safe for some people to survey particular neighborhoods. Do not knowingly put yourself in harm’s way. PROJECT DUE: 11:59 p.m. EST Saturday, July 22nd, 2023, Week 4

 

1. Using the Guidelines for a Windshield Survey, (see pdf document: Guidelines for a Windshield Survey) gather as much information about the community as you can.
2. The survey may be conducted from a motor vehicle or on foot. When collecting the information by vehicle, one person records the information about the community observations while the vehicle is driven by the other person. Students are encouraged to supplement their windshield surveys with photographs of the community.
3. You can write more complete observations once you return home.
4. Create a report and Summary your Analysis. Summary Report must be in APA Format
5. Submit to the appropriate basket in the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. EST Saturday, July 22^nd, 2023, Week 4

Preparation

• Get familiar with the survey questions and know what you will be looking for.
• Use a checklist to be sure you have covered all the questions and observed all the areas you want to.
• Be as inconspicuous as possible. Not only do people act differently when they know they are being observed, they may also become suspicious or hostile.
• Be sure you carry identification.
• Take notes along the way. You can also take photos with a camera or cell phone to help you remember what you have seen.
• Always pay attention to your safety. Be aware of the neighborhood and the situation.
  

  Windshield Survey Project

Observation

Use the spaces between the questions below for your notes. You can write more complete observations once you return home.

• Housing: What is the age and condition of housing in the community or neighborhood? Are the houses and apartments kept up, or are they run-down and in need of repair? Are the yards neat or overgrown?
• Other Buildings: Are other buildings mostly or fully occupied? Are public and commercial buildings accessible by people with disabilities?

 

• Parks and Public Spaces: Are parks and other public spaces well maintained? Are they used by a variety of people? Are there sports facilities such as baseball fields, basketball courts, and soccer fields?

 

• Culture and Entertainment: Are there museums, libraries, theaters, restaurants, historic sites, and so forth? Do they reflect the culture of the community? Are they readily accessible?

 

• Streets: Are there trees and plants along the streets? Are there sidewalks? Are the streets and sidewalks clean? Are there trash cans sitting out in sight? Are there people on the streets? Do they interact with each other? Are the streets well-lit at night?

 

• Business and Industry: What kinds of businesses are there? Are there vacant storefronts? In what languages are business signs? Do the businesses provide the necessities for the community (such as groceries and medications)? Is there any kind of industry present?

 

• Traffic and Transportation: Is there evidence of public transportation? Is it well used? Is it easy to navigate and use? How much does it cost? Who uses it? How heavy is the traffic? Is there a major road or highway close by? Is the traffic mostly commercial (such as delivery vans and trucks) or private cars? Are there many bicycles? Are there bike lanes and bike racks?

 

• Public Services: Are there identifiable public service providers such as mental health clinics, food banks, and homeless shelters? Are there police or fire stations nearby? Are they easy to reach?

 

• Religious Centers: Are there churches or other religious institutions? Are they of one faith, or do they represent a variety of faiths? Is there one dominant religion represented?

 

• Health Services: How many hospitals and clinics are there? How big are they? Are they easy to get to?

 

• Education: Are there public or private K-12 schools nearby? Are they well-maintained? Are there any two- or four-year colleges or universities? Are they public or private?

 

• Population: Who lives in the community? Are there identifiable racial or ethnic groups? Do particular groups seem to live in particular areas? Is one age group or gender more obvious? Do the people who live in this community seem to interact with each other?

 

• What is your overall impression of the community?

Summary and Analysis

To help you analyze what you have seen and decide how to use it, here are some questions you should consider:

• What are the community’s outstanding strengths?
• What seem to be the community’s biggest challenges?
• What was the most unexpected thing you observed?
• What aspect of the community really stood out for you?
• How can you use this information to help develop a health promotion and wellness plan for the population that lives here?