/news-archive/tag/michael-craw/ ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock Fri, 19 Oct 2018 13:38:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2018/10/19/craw-neighborhood-associations-matter/ Fri, 19 Oct 2018 13:38:07 +0000 /news/?p=72386 ... Craw to discuss why neighborhood associations matter in next Anderson Institute “Plain Talk on Race and Ethnicity” lecture series]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor will discuss the effects neighborhood and homeowner’s associations have on property values and crime rates during the next “Plain Talk on Race and Ethnicity” lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 23.  Dr. Michael Craw, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, will give his talk, “Why Neighborhood Associations Matter” at 6 p.m. Oct. 23 in the University District Building. Craw’s project uses data from city agencies and from a recent survey of Little Rock neighborhood organizations to provide new insights into the effects of Little Rock neighborhood and homeowner associations on their neighborhoods. He examined data from the Pulaski County Assessor’s Office that covered approximately 50,000 single-family home sales in Little Rock from 2000 to 2016. The study controlled for individual characteristics of the home, including lot size, income level of neighborhood residents, ethnicity, and other factors. The study finds that neighborhood and homeowner associations have significant effects on property values and on crime. However, the study also raises important questions about whether and how neighborhood and homeowner associations reinforce differences across neighborhoods. The results speak to the potential benefits of supporting more active neighborhood and homeowner associations and of collaboration across neighborhoods to address community problems. Earlier this year, Craw received the William E. Mosher and Frederick C. Mosher Award for his article on the study, “Institutional Analysis of Neighborhood Collective Action.” The Mosher and Mosher Award is presented to the author(s) of the best Public Administration Review article by an academic during the year. The event, which is sponsored by the ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ Little Rock Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Anderson Institute at 501-569-8932 or race-ethnicity@ualr.edu.]]> /news-archive/2018/04/25/craw-property-values-associations/ Wed, 25 Apr 2018 17:33:45 +0000 /news/?p=70289 ... Professor wins award for study showing connection between neighborhood, homeowner’s association and higher property values]]> Homeowners in the Little Rock area who are looking for a long-term return on their investment should look for neighborhoods with a neighborhood or homeowner’s association, according to a study by a University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor.  Dr. Michael Craw, associate professor of public administration, published an article that explored the correlation between the presence of a neighborhood or homeowner’s association and an increase in property values within those neighborhoods. “One of the big questions I have been pursuing the past few years is understanding why some neighborhoods remain stable over time and why some shift, resulting in declining property values and decreased populations,” Craw said. Craw was recently awarded the William E. Mosher and Frederick C. Mosher Award for his article, “Institutional Analysis of Neighborhood Collective Action.” The Mosher and Mosher Award is presented to the authors of the best Public Administration Review article by an academic during the year. During the study, Craw examined data from the Pulaski County Assessor’s Office that covered approximately 50,000 single-family home sales in Little Rock from 2000 to 2016. The study controlled for individual characteristics of the home, including lot size, income level of neighborhood residents, ethnicity, and other factors. Craw found that the presence of a neighborhood and/or homeowner’s association has a positive effect on the stability of a neighborhood. “If you have a neighborhood association, there is a mechanism by which you can address changes happening in the neighborhood that might be undesirable,” Craw said. “Organizations that are active help to make neighborhoods more resilient to things like crime and blight that make property values go down. They can oppose new buildings that impose hardship on the neighborhood.” University District, which includes neighborhoods surrounding the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, serves as an example of a group of neighborhood associations that are making a positive impact on the community. Barrett Allen, director of University District, said the district is involved in several projects to improve quality of life for the residents of University District. These initiatives involve rehabbing and building new affordable homes, building sidewalks, starting neighborhood associations, and improving homes occupied by elderly and disadvantaged homeowners through the Special Needs Assistance Program. As part of a healthy living initiative, University District holds wellness fairs, farmers markets, cooking classes, and a community garden. Residents who live in neighborhoods with a neighborhood or homeowner’s association are more likely to stay in their homes and try to improve the neighborhood, rather than move away. “There is a value that comes with having a neighborhood association,” Craw said. “This study shows that the things we do to make neighborhoods better actually have an effect. It informs the city, since higher property values mean higher property taxes and better services for the city.” Victor Turner, director of Little Rock’s Housing and Neighborhood Programs Department, said that the City of Little Rock uses Craw’s research to encourage neighborhood associations in the city to stay active. Little Rock will also use the data in the future planning of a Sister Neighborhood Program in which thriving neighborhoods lend support to neighborhoods that are struggling. ]]> /news-archive/2018/04/24/neighborhood-recidivism-rates-ex-offenders-arkansas/ Tue, 24 Apr 2018 14:15:07 +0000 /news/?p=70284 ... Neighborhood is key factor in recidivism rates for ex-offenders in Arkansas]]> The neighborhood that a person recently released from prison lives in is a key factor in whether that person will eventually return to prison, according to a study by two professors at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  In their study, “There Goes the Neighborhood? Crime, Blight and Recidivism,” Tusty ten Bensel, associate professor of criminal justice, and Michael Craw, associate professor of public administration, examined whether ex-offenders being released into disadvantaged neighborhoods increased the likelihood of them returning to prison. “Crime does not happen in a vacuum,” ten Bensel said. “Our study indicates that the neighborhood conditions in which ex-offenders return to significantly impacts recidivism. There are individual characteristics that can predict recidivism, but we also have to remember what kind of neighborhoods they return to. If we are worried about crime in Little Rock, we should think about what we can we do to help these people succeed once they get out of prison and reenter society.” It is estimated that 80 to 95 percent of the inmate population will eventually be released from prison, yet most of those inmates (76.6 percent) wind up back in prison within five years, according to a . In Arkansas alone in 2016, approximately 55 percent of those released were rearrested for committing a violation under supervision. “Studies have consistently found that ex-offenders released from prison are likely to return to the same socially isolated and economically impoverished neighborhoods prior to incarceration,” ten Bensel said. “These types of communities tend to have lower access to health care and social services, high unemployment, mortality, and drug addiction rates. Individuals living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have a greater likelihood of engaging in criminal behaviors.” The professors studied data collected from the Arkansas Department of Corrections consisting of 4,246 ex-offenders returning to Little Rock between 2008 and 2015. They collected information on disorder in neighborhoods and crime information through Little Rock’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs and Planning Department as well as the Little Rock Police Department. Craw and ten Bensel found that ex-prisoners who lived in neighborhoods with more disorder, as measured by code violations, returned to prison sooner than those who did not. Meanwhile, ex-prisoners who lived in neighborhoods with more homeowner reinvestment, measured by building permits for renovations, additions to single family homes, and fewer housing vacancies, returned to prison later, if at all, than those who lived in disadvantaged neighborhoods. “There tends to be less recidivism in well-organized neighborhoods that invest back in their communities, which reduces the propensity for an ex-offender to return to prison,” Craw said. “It goes back to social ties. Ex-offenders that have strong social ties have a better chance of reentering society than if they are in a place where they are socially isolated.” Most ex-offenders who are released from prison do not have access to the resources they need to get their lives back on track, which often leads to a never-ending cycle. “Ex-offenders come out of prison and try to seek employment but often can’t because of their record,” ten Bensel said. “If they do get a job, they don’t have a car and may end up getting fired because they have difficulty going to work. They walk up and down the street and see the same friends doing the same things that landed them in prison in the first place. For example, if you go to prison for drugs, and you come out and can’t get a job, can’t pay your rent or for health insurance, you are going to see drug dealing as the easy way out.” The study is funded by a Research Cluster Seed Grant from ĚÇĐÄVlog´«Ă˝ little Rock ten Bensel and Craw received in 2016. ]]>