From second year on the knowledge of a thesis the last semester of our fifth year has always been there, daunting in the back of my mind. A thesis is seen as this overwhelming task, meant to consume one's life. Upon choosing a site, this thought of a daunting task began to dissipate and became something I was looking forward to working on.
The Roosevelt Neighborhood is one of the older neighborhoods in the city of Fargo. The surrounding areas lend well to the citizens, and provide a variety of land uses. Roosevelt is situated to the southeast of North Dakota State University's main campus, and is north of the historic downtown. Roosevelt provides as the connection between the two, especially with the inclusion of a one way pair running through its middle. The neighborhood is also very diverse in the range of housing types, densities and land uses. Approximately 80% of the housing in the area are rental properties. This provides for a diverse range of social interactions within the neighborhood. The neighborhood also includes its own elementary school that has been standing for over ninety years, giving many of the neighbors much pride. Gentrification of the area has caused a change in the type of residents in the area, pushing many young single families to move to other parts of Fargo. For this reason, Roosevelt Elementary is running the risk of closure as the number of young children in the area are on the decrease.
