This article explores the range of organizations and participatory mechanisms that take on some aspect of the role of neighborhood-based governance (in some way speaking for or acting on behalf of their neighborhoods) in three cities. It describes the extent to which they perform similar or different functions and discusses the strengths and weaknesses presented by the system of relationships as they are currently structured. It also explores two key issues—legitimacy and accountability—in an attempt to distill lessons about the relative roles and effectiveness of these different participatory mechanisms and community organizations and the relationships among them. The article suggests ways that sponsors (including foundations and government) can more effectively engage with neighborhoods and promote neighborhood-based decision making and action and highlights some unanswered questions that might be pursued as part of a larger research agenda to inform the practical pursuit of participatory, community-building strategies.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Berry, J. M., Portney, K. E., & Thomson, K. (1993). The rebirth of urban democracy. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
2.
Bolduc, V. L. (1980). Representation and legitimacy in neighborhood organizations: A case study. Journal of Voluntary Action Research, 9(1-4), 165-178.
3.
Chaskin, R. J., & Abunimah, A. (1999). A view from the city: Local government perspectives on neighborhood-based governance in community-building initiatives. Journal of Urban Affairs, 21(1), 57-78.
4.
Chaskin, R. J., & Garg, S. (1997). The issue of governance in neighborhood-based initiatives. Urban Affairs Review, 32(5), 631-661.
5.
Cnaan, R. A. (1991). Neighborhood-representing organizations: How democratic are they? Social Service Review, 65, 614-634.
6.
Cohen, J., & Rogers, J. (1995). Associations and democracy (Vol. 1). London, New York: Verso.
7.
Crenson, M. A. (1983). Neighborhood politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
8.
Day, D. (1997). Citizen participation in the planning process: An essentially contested concept. Journal of Planning Literature, 11(3), 421.
9.
Eisen, A. (1993). A report on foundations' support for comprehensive neighborhood-based community empowerment initiatives: A report sponsored by East Bay Funders, the Ford Foundation, the New York Community Trust, the Piton Foundation, and the Riley Foundation. New York: New York Community Trust.
10.
Elazar, D. J. (1987). Building cities in America: Urbanization and suburbanization in a frontier society. Lanham, MD: Hamilton Press.
11.
Fainstein, N. I., & Fainstein, S. S. (1986). Restructuring the city: The political economy of urban redevelopment. New York: Longman.
12.
Fishman, N., & Phillips, M. (1993). A review of comprehensive collaborative persistent poverty initiatives. Evanston, IL: Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research, Northwestern University.
13.
Hallman, H. W. (1977). The organization and operation of neighborhood councils: A practical guide. New York, London: Praeger.
14.
Huntington, S. P. (1975). The democratic distemper. Public Interest, 41, 9-38.
15.
Jackson, M. R., & Marris, P. (1996). Collaborative comprehensive community initiatives: Overview of an emerging community improvement orientation. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
16.
Jenkins, J. C. (1987). Nonprofit organizations and policy advocacy. In W. W. Powell (Ed.), The nonprofit sector (pp. 296-320). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
17.
Jenny, P. (1993). Neighborhood Strategies Project: Organizing communities for work (A community-building initiative for New York City) (Concept Paper). New York: New York Community Trust.
18.
Kingsley, G. T., McNeely, J. B., & Gibson, J. O. (1997). Community building: Coming of age. Washington, DC: The Development Training Institute, and The Urban Institute.
19.
Knoke, D. (1990). Community power structures. New York: Cambridge University Press.
20.
Knoke, D., & Wood, J. (1981). Organized for action: Commitment in voluntary organizations. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
21.
Kubisch, A., Auspos, P., Brown, P., Chaskin, R., Fulbright-Anderson, K., & Hamilton, R. (2002). Voice from the field II: Reflections on comprehensive community change. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.
22.
Kubisch, A., Brown, P., Chaskin, R., Hirota, J., Joseph, M., Richman, H., & Roberts, M. (1997). Voices from the field: Learning from the early work of comprehensive community initiatives. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.
23.
Logan, J. R., & Rabrenovic, G. (1990). Neighborhood associations: Their issues, their allies, and their opponents. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 26(1), 68-94.
24.
McCarney, P., Mohamed, H., & Rodriguez, A. (1995). Towards an understanding of governance: The emergence of an idea and its implications for urban research in developing countries. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press.
25.
Milofsky, C. (1987). Neighborhood-based organizations: A market analogy. In W. W. Powell (ed.), The nonprofit sector (pp. 277-295). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
26.
Milofsky, C. (1988). Structure and process in community self-help organizations. In C. Milofsky (Ed.), Community organizations: Studies in resource mobilization and exchange (p. 277-295). New York: Oxford University Press.
27.
Mollenkopf, J. H. (1983). The contested city. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
28.
Pateman, C. (1970). Participation and democratic theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
29.
Pitkin, H. K. (1967). The concept of representation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
30.
Powell, W., & Friedkin, R. (1987). Organizational change in nonprofit organizations. In W. W. Powell (Ed.), The nonprofit sector (pp. 180-192). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
31.
Rohe, W. M., & Gates, L. B. (1985). Planning with neighborhoods. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
32.
Stone, R. (1996). Core issues in comprehensive community-building initiatives. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
33.
Valelly, R. M. (1993). Public policy for reconnected citizenship. In H. Ingram & S. R. Smith (Eds.), Public policy for democracy (pp. 241-266). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
34.
Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., & Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic volunteerism in American politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
35.
Wright, D. J. (1998). Empowerment zones/enterprise communities: Implementing a new program. Albany, NY: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
