SITE OVERVIEW ♦ NORWALK | CONNECTICUT
Target Area: South Norwalk • Population: 29,100
Fiscal Agent: The City of Norwalk
Research Partner: John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Crime Concerns: Aggravated and simple assaults, drug-related crime, and gang activity
BCJI Funding Year: 2015 Planning
Neighborhood Profile
South Norwalk is a five square-mile-area that has a high concentration of residents below the poverty level and active gangs. While the area has several notable assets such as a new police station and block-long restaurant district, it is also home to 10 of the city’s 18 public housing developments, unkempt multiple-family houses, and a patchwork of old, abandoned and underused commercial buildings, including Brownfield sites dating back to the 19th century. The area is also home to the city’s minority population - 60 percent of the population is minority as opposed to 31 percent in Norwalk at large.
A primary concern in the community is the upward trend in crime compared to the city as a whole. Between the years 2008 to 2012, assaults went from 39 percent of the citywide total to 44 percent, thefts rose from 35 percent to 88 percent, and forcible rape went from 46 percent to 100 percent. In total in 2012, approximately 2,000 of the city’s 2,500 arrests took place in the target area.
Planning Process
The BCJI project intends to build upon a history of neighborhood revitalization efforts, specifically through the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant. BCJI partners are now joining forces with Choice Neighborhoods Initiative staff and other community stakeholders to design a strategic, collaborative, and community-oriented plan to reduce crime and promote sustainability. They are also working together to collect and analyze crime-related data, determine the effectiveness of services already in place to address crime, and analyze any gaps in services. In addition, there are plans underway for the construction of major mixed-use developments, including housing, office, and retail spaces that are intended to activate South Norwalk’s urban landscape, create welcoming, vibrant neighborhoods, and provide job opportunities for residents.
Other Key Partners
Norwalk Police Department, City of Norwalk Juvenile Review Board, the Norwalk Housing Authority, Choice Neighborhood Program, the WorkPlace Inc., Southwestern Connecticut’s Regional Workforce Development Board, and the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
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