Shiloh Hills Neighborhood 2024 Neighborhood Plan

Community Idnetity
  The spatial and social elements of a community are the primary influences on how people identify with their neighborhoods. Spatial components of a neighborhood, such as landmarks, buildings, streets, and vegetation; can provide a physical means to identify with an area. Personal travel patterns and the recognition of physical features facilitate identification with specific aspects of a neighborhood. The social aspect of a neighborhood refers to relationships among residents and the community in general. Neighborhoods with stronger social networks maintain higher levels of social capital. The communication and trust that result from personal relationships and social capital foster increased identity with a neighborhood.

Who/what is Shiloh Hills?:
  The Shiloh Hills Neighborhood consist of about 2,000 acres with a population of approximately 16,000 at 8,500 addresses. Shiloh Hills has about 650 businesses within its boundary. About 67% of Shiloh Hills residents live in multi-family housing. There are 371 ‘mobile’ homes; senior facilities range from assisted living, independent living in multistory retirement towers, to manufactured housing. The spacial makeup of the neighborhood is fractionalized (partitioned). There is a significant barrier to the neighborhood’s identity because of the partitioning of residents, open undeveloped land space, and dissimilar zoning and commercial/industrial land use.

Interaction Issues:
  When populations exceed 5,000 then the level of face-to-face interaction begins to decline and individuals are less likely to closely connect with their neighborhoods. When interaction declines, communities lose social capital and individuals isolate themselves from their neighbors and the neighborhood. Arterials as well as closed off sections caused by siloed apartment complexes and businesses used as physical boundaries make face-to-face interactions very difficult. Shiloh Hills is divided approximately into three 5,000 population areas: the Mead/Spokane School Districts on the west of Nevada and the Bluegrass area east of Nevada.

Communication:
  In order for a neighborhood council to connect with residents, meaningful communication must take place. Meaningful communication is about conveying information to particular audiences, listening to feedback and responding appropriately. When residents feel their concerns are heard in an effective communication setting, their connection to a place grows, along with concern for its well being.
   Many residents within neighborhoods first become engaged over issues such as safety. Most long for secure, stable neighborhoods and recognize that the distance between stable areas, considered “safe” by residents, can vary in the space of a few blocks. The prevalence of neighborhood communication is a strong contributor to feelings of neighborhood security. A communication strategy should be an integral part of something like a crime prevention action plan, in order to mobilize community members and build partnerships (British Columbia Criminal Justice Reform).

Communication Barriers:
  Another important consideration regarding the size of the neighborhood is the number of busy streets dissecting the neighborhood and how size influences travel patterns. Francis on the south is an established boundary to the southern city neighborhoods. Exacerbating the insularity of Shiloh Hills from the city to her south is the commercial/industrial area between Lyons and Francis. The businesses on Division/Newport Highway separate Shiloh Hills on her West. On the North is the Northpointe commercial area, while on the east side of Nevada open land, apartments, and commercial zones divide the east/west neighborhoods. North of Lincoln Rd is in Mead School District (354) and Spokane Schools (District 81) is south of Lincoln. Busy streets (Magnesium, Lincoln, Nevada, & Division) which cut across the neighborhood create physical barriers between residents, and makes it more difficult for the neighborhood to identify as a single unit.
   Non-motorized travel patterns allow individuals to connect with and relate to specific places to a greater extent than those traveling in vehicles. These connections can create the foundation for place-based identity. People powered mobility is limited in Shiloh Hills. While greater mobility in contemporary society may mean individuals are less likely to form an identity based upon a defined physical space, communities should ensure residents have a number of mobility options.

Land use:
  Because land use patterns in the neighborhood facilitate dependence on automobiles, higher activity levels do not necessarily influence neighborhood recognition. Shiloh Hills neighborhood includes large apartment complexes, and different, more modern styles of development. These aesthetic and land use differences do little to create a cohesive, place-based identity for citizens living and traveling through the neighborhood. the large number of commercial chains, rather than locally-owned neighborhood businesses, does little to support the symbolic notions of neighborhood or community. Local or independent businesses can provide spatial recognition for neighborhood residents and a historical context for the neighborhood. The characteristics of large, chain businesses, like many of those along the Division corridor, fail to facilitate the same levels of interaction between customers and employees that local businesses support.

Schools as community resource:
  Except for Shiloh Hills Elementary School in the north, all of Shiloh Hills K-12 students are bused out of the neighborhood. Our students attend nine public schools. When students and parents cross neighborhood boundaries these travel patterns create cognitive neighborhood maps that differ from the Shiloh Hills neighborhood map. Shiloh Hills will need to expand communication and outreach with local schools to successfully address neighborhood identity. Rogers, Shadle and Mead High Schools are miles apart and outside the neighborhood boundary; middle and elementary schools lose symbolic status as neighborhood institutions or focal places specific to Shiloh Hills.

Spacial units:
  In terms of neighborhoods as a spatial unit, research indicates that subjective perceptions of neighborhoods do not necessarily correspond with administrative boundaries. Residents tend to perceive neighborhoods on a smaller scale than official neighborhood boundaries, and daily activity patterns tend to form cognitive perceptions of neighborhoods that differ from administrative boundaries. The social and functional elements, such as demographics, major institutions, and perceptions of safety and danger, also influence cognitive perceptions of neighborhood. Shiloh Hills needs to focus on the physical and social aspects of the neighborhood and how residents identify with that area.

Focal Points:
  The lack of neighborhood institutions specifically associated with Shiloh Hills gives poor recognition of Shiloh Hills as a neighborhood in residents’ minds. Traditional neighborhoods with strong identity tend to possess focal places which provide a place for social interaction, local economic support, and symbolic value for the neighborhood. These could include institutions such as libraries, schools, specialized businesses, or parks. Despite the variety of purposes behind the focal places, they all tend to create place-based identity. Shiloh Hills (outside of Friendship Park) lacks such focal places.