Publication Date

2020

Comments

Second place, Undergraduate Sustainability Research Award (2020)

Abstract

Malden is a long, thin city over 1.5 miles tall and 3.5 miles wide. It is designed in traditional New England style with multiple squares concentrating commercial and residential centers. The population is 63,373 according to the latest U.S. Census report, which is nearly a 5,000-person rise since 2010 (MAPC). It has a median age of 36.2 and approximately 36.5 percent of the population is foreign-born. This is a particularly young and international population for the state, which has a median age of 39.1 and 16.1 percent are foreign-born. Between 2006-2008, it was found that a majority of the foreign-born population were from Latin America, Eastern Asia, and Southeastern Asia respectively (MAPC, 45).

Malden is strongly identified with its position on the MBTA’s Orange Line and bus connection. As a “streetcar suburb,” the city used to be connected by tram tracks. The city’s connection to the subway system and commuter rail is an important economic asset.

The Malden Hospital sits in the West End neighborhood at the Stoneham-Medford border atop a hill overlooking Fellsmere Pond. This neighborhood is approximately 4,823 residents with roughly 60 percent renting apartments. The area is more heavily settled than the city of Malden as a whole, likely due to the continuous string of homes and a few medium-sized apartment complexes. It is a 20-minute walk from Malden Center train station and a 7-minute direct trip on the 99 bus route.

Because the hospital straddles the border of Malden and Medford, it is important to assess the adjacent neighborhood of Medford. Looking at the 7,020-person census tract, the neighborhood is significantly more white (83.42 percent to Malden’s 54.37) and wealthy (with a median income of $120,705 to $71,795). In addition, vacancy rates are lower and only about 12 percent are rental occupants. The 65 and older population is much higher at 21 percent.

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