Chapter 5
Neighborhood organizing has a long history in the U.S. Most people trace the origins to the
Social Settlement Movement. The Hull House was an important part of this movement. The
goal was to provide resources to slum residents. The movement achieved some important
goals, but failed to address the causes of poverty or the power structure.
The Community Center Movement began during the Progressive Era. Reformers chose
neighborhood centers as the place to provide services.
The Cincinnati Social Unit Plan was one of the first efforts to hire block workers to work on local
priorities. The goal was to build self-sufficiency.
Neighborhood planning councils are coalitions of neighborhood associations that work together
to improve an area. Neighborhood associations are groups of residents, businesses, or other
related individuals that focus on improving the quality of life in a specific area. These
associations provide a collective voice to help the neighborhood achieve goals and
communicate with local government. They typically work on a wide variety of issues, such as
streets, traffic, shopping, housing, land use, and crime. Neighborhood interest groups are
smaller, informal organizations that are typically focused on specific issues, such as crime,
parks, etc.
Local governments provide support to neighborhood groups through capacity building, grant
programs, and supporting neighborhood input methods. Neighborhood groups can improve
their participation in terms of the breadth and depth of their input. Breadth includes easier
access, information, and resources supporting participation. Depth includes budget, defining
the decision-making process, and control of staff.
There are a variety of community-based organizations. Community Development Corporations
(CDCs) are one of the most common in the community-development field. They typically serve
low-income neighborhoods, are locally controlled, and focus on affordable housing. They have
evolved since the 1960s when they were primarily activist organizations. They specialized in
the 1970s and focused on housing. Since the 1980s, CDCs have become more like professional
developers because of the need to finance housing. Some critics have suggested that CDCs
should not move away from their original mission as organizers. Other critics believe that this
distinction between development and organizing should be separated completely. Finally,
other critics charge that they should stay with what they do best—housing—and focus less on
economic revitalization and job training.
Local development organizations focus on job growth through a variety of economic
development activities, including attraction, retention, and expansion of businesses. Local
development organizations are typically either nonprofit organizations supported by the private
sector or part of the local government. The evidence suggests they can be more successful
when there is independence, but some local support.
Community youth organizations focus on the problems of youth in the urban environment.
Faith-based organizations (congregations, networks of religious organizations, and separate
organizations). These organizations focus primarily on providing services directly to
communities.
Community-based organizations face several obstacles, but the most serious ones are related
to increasing capital mobility and globalization. These processes treat land, labor, and capital as
commodities. Communities often attempt to participate in the competition for capital, which
often leads to more costs than benefits. Communities compete because they assume that
attracting new businesses will increase tax revenues, which will enable them to provide services
at a lower cost. There are also local interests that benefit from growth that encourages
incentives. The public generally believes that growth is good. Finally, federal and state tax
incentives encourage businesses to be mobile, thereby promoting communities to compete for
capital.
How effective are incentives? The research suggests they may only have an effect on the
Discussion Questions
Ch. 5
1. What are the basic components of the Community Development Corporation (CDC) model?
What factors influence the success of CDCs? How do you think the model can be improved?
2. Should CDCs continue to attempt to create businesses and jobs or should they focus more on
housing? Can CDCs create enough jobs or housing to really make a difference? Why?