Thoughts on Mixed-Income Neighborhoods

            I found this chapter, "The Roads Not Taken," to be inspiring and full of good intentions, but I feel that there were a few issues with the author's position. The author comes from a place that seems to be rather idealistic. I felt the section on mixed-income neighborhoods might have exaggerated the potential benefits by implying that it would be a cure all, but I really understand and appreciate where the author is coming from.

            My hometown is Shreveport, LA. The suburbs were located about fifteen to twenty minutes away from my high school. I lived eight minutes away in the opposite direction. My school was located in the center of one of the "worst" neighborhoods in the city. I went to a magnet school, and magnet schools are often put in bad neighborhoods to increase the overall quality of the neighborhood. I remember feeling that the people living in the area had an aversion to most Magnet students, but upon reflection I realized that I would have distaste for a group of people completely different from myself constantly acting terrified and offended to be in my neighborhood.

            As I previously mentioned, I did not live in the suburbs or around my school. I lived in a truly middle class neighborhood, full of older, smaller homes that were somewhat expensive because of the location. My street was predominately white, with no sense of community among neighbors, but I always felt that there was something warm about the mixture of people living in one area.

            Obviously, in order to fix this problem we would have to go back and assess the policies of our government while noticing how they changed over time. Mixed-income communities do not come without their own problems—as I noticed near my high school—but they can also provide residents within a stronger sense of community, as I noticed in my own neighborhood.