A Neighborhood Struggling to Endure
Victory Acres is a community that has changed drastically since 1945, a fact that is easily demonstrated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to compare data from various years. Residents of the San Pablo Barrio were displaced, with most ending up in Victory Acres, a new community created from farmland and with humble beginnings. As the city of Tempe grew, and residents expanded their homes, Victory Acres faced many different projects. These included Arizona State University expansion, a major freeway, and the Valley Metro Light Rail transportation system. All of these projects reshaped the land and caused the original community to struggle. Community members saw the projects as a burden since they created a sense of isolation for the kids of the neighborhood, and because the neighborhood lacked recreational facilities for families, friends and kids to get together. This forced them to congregate outside of their community. The decline that Victory Acres experienced is not uncommon. With the passage of time, properties naturally diminish in value, which is referred to as the Neighborhood Life-Cycle. Low income housing, and having to visit other areas for recreation, caused many of the original residents to leave Victory Acres. Urban development, a loss in the sense of community, and low wages in the area have been the cause for most of the changes in the area.
Most sources for this project were local. GIS data was organized and analyzed using QGIS version 2.14.4 and Google Earth. Historic aerial photography for the study area was georeferenced using common features as points of reference on both the historic aerial and other georeferenced layers such as a modern satellite base map, roadways, houses, waterways and bridges. Census data and property values were also used to accomplish this project.
Most sources for this project were local. GIS data was organized and analyzed using QGIS version 2.14.4 and Google Earth. Historic aerial photography for the study area was georeferenced using common features as points of reference on both the historic aerial and other georeferenced layers such as a modern satellite base map, roadways, houses, waterways and bridges. Census data and property values were also used to accomplish this project.