Discussion Post I: Urban Communities
When you hear the word urban, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of a large population and diverse neighborhoods, or you think of sprawl, or simply sophistication. The definitions of urban and urban community have evolved over the years and vary from country to country and culture to culture. So, in order to begin to understand urban areas and the people who inhabit them, you must first define them.
For this Discussion, you offer your definition and consider how knowledge of urban communities could help you as a working HSPP.
To Prepare
i. Review your course announcements for possible information related to this week's Discussions and Assignment.
ii. Review the Learning Resources on community classifications.
Task
Post your definition of an urban community. How did you come to develop your understanding of urban communities in your culture? Why do you think it might be important to know about urban communities? How might this information help you be a more effective HSPP? Make sure to integrate and document ideas and concepts from the Learning Resources to support your opinions.
Discussion Post II: Classifying Your Community
Throughout the course, you will look closely at your environment to come to an understanding about the demographics, economics, needs, and resources of your own community. This research can then inform how you engage as an HSPP and how to best address the needs you see and close gaps in existing resources.
In Discussion I, you determined what constitutes an urban community in general. Now, in Discussion II, you turn your gaze to your own community, its classification, and data such as population and demographics. You then compare your community to other types of communities represented in your class.
To Prepare
i. Review the Learning Resources on community classifications.
ii. Search online for facts about your own community, including overall population, population density, and demographic makeup.
iii. Determine the type of community. Do you live in an urban, rural, or suburban environment? Town or city?
iv. You are encouraged (but not required) to access the interactive map provided by your Instructor and place yourself in your general location on the map. To do so, click on the Instructor-provided link. From the map, click on "Additions" and select "Add Marker - Simple." Title your map marker with your name and then in the Location field, type your town, city, region, or zip code. (Do not get too specific, such as the street, to protect your privacy.) In the Description field, add details to your placement, including overall population, population density, and demographic makeup.
Describe the location, population, and demographics of where you live. How would you classify your environment? How did you determine this classification? Use the Learning Resources to inform your post.