Effective urban planning is one of the keys to such an organization of territory that would address the various needs of society and contribute to its sustainable development. Boyz n the Hood depicts the life of people in the suburban area and reveals how the environment affects their perceptions, views on life, and social networking. As evidenced by the movie, the insufficient urban setting takes its toll on all the aspects of the life of the residents, including economic, social, and cultural. In order to understand which factors, in particular, contribute to the low standard of living in the hood, it is essential to analyze the issue of urban planning in several dimensions.
Urban Environment
Boyz n the Hood reveals the problem of the suburbanization of the society and non-functional urban environment, which is typical of the areas similar to the one shown in the movie. It should be noted that the suburban districts and their linkage with different kinds of communication could characterize the efficiency of urban planning (Kennedy 120). One of the crucial elements is the presence of recreational means and areas, availability of jobs, educational facilities, and other resources that can meet various needs and interests of the community, which were almost dysfunctional in the neighborhood described in the movie (Levy 201). It also reflects the need for a sufficient structural organization of the urban space to ensure the integrity of the sustainable development of the society (Kennedy 120). In general, facilitating the sustainable development of the community is one of the most important tasks of the urban setting in the globalizing world, which can be solved through territorial planning that will provide the optimal balance between economic growth and social well-being of society.
The area shown in the movie is filled with violence, poverty, the lack of social security, and opportunities for the development of the people. As evidenced by the scenes, many of the teenagers living in the area could not finish school, not to mention receiving higher education and any career prospects, which caused many of them to join criminal groups that suppressed the residents of the area contributing to the existing level of crime that was already high (Singleton). The residents could not feel safe; consequently, many issues were resolved with the help of weapons. Such a community inevitably becomes isolated, and it has its own rules of living.
Consolidation of Areas
It is worth noting that in the US, the consolidation of suburban areas has been facilitated through the massive cuts in government spending, which was provided by the Conservative and Liberal parties during the last twenty years, as well as through the aggravated spatial and social division. Homeless families vainly seeking for an asylum, poor public transport, high crime rates, and the flourishing of the informal and illegal street economy (which is headed by the drug trade) are the inevitable consequences of the consolidation (Kennedy 117). The young people that have no such work that would bring high income and the bitterness of the older workers who became redundant due to the process of de-industrialization and technological re-qualification are the aftermath of globalization, urbanization, and inefficient urban planning (Kennedy 12).
The feeling of regression, discouragement, and hopelessness, the growth of violence and hostility towards each other are clearly reflected in the movie. In order to display the multidimensional nature of the difficult situation, the movie shows scenes of violence and different fates of the main characters who either could not finish school or became fathers who had not finished school yet (Singleton). The complexity of the situation was reinforced by the portrayal of single-parent families, where fathers were absent, and mothers could not cope with their problematic children. It should be emphasized that the emergence of such dysfunctional areas is the outcome of the state’s housing policy as well as urban and regional planning. The issue of their formation and the possible dispersion is highly relevant to the political authority and social work since this problem affects all the aspects of the community life.
Another tendency shown in Boyz n the Hood is the concentration of marginality around the areas of which the city authorities have lost control and where the general rules of law are no longer applicable. These areas are clearly definable both by residents and by external observers. Many people and teenagers in the movie were aware that they would not be able to get out of the hood; the promising athletes saw an opportunity to get a scholarship as the only opportunity to have a better life (Singleton). However, only a few of them would receive a scholarship, while most of the students could not see any prospects at all.
Another problem of inefficient urban planning and its effect is the reduced sense of community; the native district does not protect itself against dangers and is no longer a source of various forms of mutual aid and development. The weakening of the territorial community ties, in its turn, pushes to private consumption and strategies of distancing, which further undermine the local solidarity (Kennedy 13). As a consequence, the population of the district develops a specific organizational approach focused on this area exclusively. Such organizational formations replace or duplicate nationwide institutions and adopt their own policies and rules of conduct.
Conclusion
The state should consider several solutions that would address the existing problems in urban planning. It should introduce the existing state welfare programs in the areas similar to those depicted in the movie. It is evident that such measures will not reverse the situation, but they will provide communities with social services and state support, which will help improve the overall standard of living in suburban areas. Further, the state should consider fundamental restructuring, which would force to implement policies that would go in line with the changing economic and social conditions (Kennedy 119). The radical innovations such as universal salary (or base grant) for citizens are necessary to expand their social rights and prevent the dangerous consequences of changes in the labor market.
The movie dwells upon the environmental implications and disturbing issues of communities living in the suburbs. It reveals that the residents face a number of problems, including difficulties in maintaining family bonds and social networking. The youth is deprived of security, chances of development, and career prospects. The residents have socio-cultural differences that alienate them from each other and make them act violently due to the established norms imposed by the criminal bands. Many people face such problems nowadays as well. Thus, it is essential that the government executes its unique power and authority and allocates the necessary resources to make a change in the life of such communities.
Works Cited
Kennedy, Liam. Race and Urban Space in American Culture, New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Levy, John. Contemporary Urban Planning, Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. Print.
Singleton, John. “Boyz n the Hood.” 2016. Web.