Neighborhood service organizations such as Detroit's Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, Franklin Wright Settlements, and Warren/Conner Development Coalition have developed leadership and mobilized resources for collective action. Neighborhoods served by exceptional organizations contrast sharply with surrounding areas in decline. (SK)

A North Oakland (California) neighborhood spent years convincing the city to convert an old college building into a senior center, housing, a park, and an African American cultural center instead of replacing it with a strip mall. Community strategies included publishing a monthly newsletter, attending meetings, replacing city politicians, and…

Recognizes the unused potential of inner city kids and describes how The Institute for Leadership, Excellence and Academic Development (I-Lead) program has helped prepare these students for admittance to universities and colleges. I-Lead offers four core courses: (1) test prep class; (2) constitutional law class; (3) writing class; and (4)…

Community-based development organizations (CBDOs) appear to be a major force for the economic and physical rejuvenation of distressed, low-income communities. A CBDO is a private nonprofit group that serves a low-income community or constituency, is governed by a community-based board, and is an ongoing producer, with at least one completed…

This handbook provides a brief overview of bank and bank holding company community development corporations (CDCs), the types of activities for which they can be used, the legal requirements in establishing such an entity, and how they are organized and operated. Case studies, including studies of the Shorebank Corporation of Chicago, the First…

Describes a volunteer effort involving community church groups and secondary school children in an effort to provide a summer learning experience for children in public housing. Reviews advantages of the program and what can be learned from it. (TB)

Examines the role of ethnography as a resource in the process of needs assessment in a multi-ethnic, low-income section of Philadelphia. Analyzes the relationship between the targeted neighborhood's socioeconomic characteristics and human service environment and discusses the work done with neighborhood leaders in developing a plan based on the…

This exit report chronicles the last 20 months of the 3-year demonstration phase of the New York City Volunteer Corps (CVC), whose members worked in teams at various sites to either provide human services or do physical work. These final months were characterized by the following factors: (1) a change in Corps leadership; (2) concern about…

A university-assisted participatory action project, the West Philadelphia Improvement Corps (WEPIC), has worked with several schools in Philadelphia to develop comprehensive community school projects. WEPIC is now a school-based neighborhood and school revitalization movement that attempts to serve, educate, involve, and activate all members of…

This report contains findings and recommendations of a project to identify problems in California's policies and in the administration of its laws regarding small businesses and to examine alternative solutions to those problems. Part 1 consists of the findings of five statewide Task Forces that concentrated on these aspects of operating a small…

The Centralia 21st Century Visioning Project was undertaken by the city of Centralia, in Washington, and Centralia College to determine a vision for the city for the next century based on citizen and business input. In summer 1994, the college conducted a survey of 185 businesses from the city's downtown core to gather retailers' perceptions on…

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) describes programs to improve poor Americans' access to home ownership and economic opportunity. Discusses the Home Ownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere (HOPE) initiative, enterprise zones, housing opportunity zones, and other tools to eliminate barriers to entrepreneurship, job…

Argues that Neighborhood Development Organization (NDO) staffs and volunteers have a faulty understanding of the political economies of poor urban communities, and have adopted a free market orientation. Recommends an alternative "organizing-driven" model of community development. (FMW)

Describes "Site Omaha" an interactive public arts project designed to explore alternative art venues in the urban environment and to create a common link between artists and other community members. "Site Omaha" initiated innovative community arts projects. Provides a brief overview of urban environmental art. (MJP)

The college's role in enhancing the physical environment and facilities of its surrounding community is examined, based on the experiences of more than 30 institutions, ranging from small private colleges to large state-run universities. In contrast to practices in the 1950s and 1960s, there is currently a new understanding that the campus and the…