Children in Neighborhoods

Abstract

Several decades of research demonstrate a link between neighborhood residence and human development throughout the life course. This chapter goes beyond enumerating studies that have found such connections between neighborhoods and development; we focus on synthesizing findings from methodologically rigorous research to lay a foundation of what we know about how and why neighborhoods matter for children during the first two decades of life. We begin the chapter with an overview of the history and context of neighborhood research, with special attention to the intersections of research and policy. We next turn our attention to defining the neighborhood context for children. By addressing issues of theory and measurement in neighborhood research, we provide a framework for the third section on approaches to studying neighborhood influences on children's development. The fourth section presents a review of the current state of research in the field, integrating multiple aspects of the neighborhood context and synergies with related contexts and individual characteristics. The fifth section then considers the neighborhood as a unit of intervention. Finally, we offer a dynamic framework for the study of neighborhoods and child development before presenting our conclusions.

Racial Disparities in Blood Pressure Trajectories of Preterm Children: The Role of Family and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status

“…This finding is consistent with recent research showing that neighborhood conditions explain a larger portion of racial disparities in hypertension than do socioeconomic factors at the individual level (45)(46)(47). Although additional research is needed to determine specific mechanisms for possible effects of neighborhood SES on child blood pressure, current conceptualizations of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage suggest that multiple pathways of influence are likely at play (27)(28)(29)(30)(31). Elevated stress exposure, weaker support structures, and diminished social capital are all viable candidate mechanisms for the apparent impacts of disadvantaged neighborhoods (32,33,65).…”

“…Neighborhood SES represents aggregate characteristics of individuals within a particular spatial locality, and it can influence the health outcomes of children in various ways (27)(28)(29)(30)(31). For example, neighborhood SES can influence children through associations with parental stress levels (32,33) and sleep patterns (34), which in turn influence family functioning and aspects of parenting linked to child health (34)(35)(36).…”

Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development1

“…Intentional influences on context represent opportunities to alter developmental sequencing, pathways, and range. Longitudinal studies of the long-term benefits of particular interventions on some children (Catalano, Hill, Haggerty, Fleming, & Hawkins, 2010;Chetty et al, 2011;Kellam et al, 2008;Schweinhart et al, 2005), and research on school and neighborhood effects, suggest how these impacts can be amplified or attenuated (Crosnoe & Benner, 2015;Leventhal, Dupéré, & Shuey, 2015;Osher & Kendziora, 2010). Longitudinal studies of the costs and benefits of interventions are powerful because effects (and related costs and/or benefits) are compounded and intergenerational.…”

Family poverty and neighborhood poverty: Links with children's school readiness before and after the Great Recession

“…Indeed, neighborhood contexts may play a significant role in shaping the experiences of children, such as the safety and quality of residential neighborhoods, as well as the quality of institutions and institutional resources available (Leventhal, Dupere, & Shuey, 2015). For young children specifically, parents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have few options for high-quality child care and education that are both enriching and accessible (Burchinal, Nelson, Carlson, Brooks-Gunn, & J., 2008; Dupere, Leventhal, Crosnoe, & Dion, 2010; Leventhal et al, 2015; McCoy, Connors, Morris, Yoshikawa, & Friedman-Krauss, 2015; Reardon & Bischoff, 2011). High-poverty neighborhoods can also affect young children directly through exposure to more toxins, noise pollution, and other aspects of stressful environments (Evans, 2004, 2006; Evans & Kim, 2007).…”