Efforts to measure the quality of life in cities have emphasized comparisons among different places. This is useful for citizens and businesses but not for communities. The advice of local residents must be sought to develop community-oriented measures which define the quality of life in terms of the local context. (VM)

Illustrates historically and politically how geography and ethnicity melded together to provide the foundation for a community consciousness that ultimately evolved into a unique form of community organization in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. Examines how external structures, internal arrangements, housing patterns, and ethnic patterns…