An approach to integrating casework and community development includes the practices of empowerment, community building, and social action. The aim is to give disadvantaged people more choice and control over their lives. (Contains 14 references.) (SK)

The arts can play a role in regeneration of areas of economic, social, cultural, and environmental disadvantage. Field study of four arts projects in Scotland identified (1) the need for community consultation and involvement; (2) uses of hard and soft data; (3) strategic use of the arts within overall community regeneration policy; and (4) the…

In Jamaica, people most likely to be affected by environmental degradation are less likely to be involved in environmental nongovernmental organizations and community-based conservation projects. Funders, practitioners, and policy makers should work to remove barriers to participation and ensure equitable allocation of funding. (SK)

Relationship between neighborhood characteristics and community development corporations (CDCs) was examined in Jackson, Mississippi. CDCs were more likely to be in neighborhoods with significant numbers of disenfranchised groups and disinvestment in the built environment. They act as subcontractors, which limits their power and mirrors structural…

Asserts that recent riots in British cities are indicators of the failure of Western community development to engage ethnic minority communities. Questions the effectiveness of efforts based on inadequate understanding of communities and cultures. Suggests that rioting may be a means of seeking decision-making voice among disempowered communities.…