Linguists understand metaphors to be shortcuts to an individual's tacit knowledge about the world. As ethnographers and planners building a university-school partnership and seeking to understand residents' perceptions of their urban neighbourhood, attention to use of metaphor allowed us insight into an insider's mental model of who is in the…

The Oliver community, only a couple of miles northeast of the city's business core, is just a sliver of East Baltimore that could be easily overlooked. Once a stable neighborhood filled with sturdy brick row houses, thriving churches and small businesses, Oliver declined--along with much of the city--over the course of several decades, beginning…

This historical case-study examines the evolution of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium during its "community engagement period" from 2004 to 2008, which coincided with the formation of the Worcester UniverCity Partnership, a broad attempt to bring the colleges in Worcester, the City, the business community, and the neighborhoods into…

The inauguration of a new president is a typically a time of great hope, and this year is certainly no exception. But the advent of the Obama administration offers residents of New York and other city-dwellers special grounds for optimism: that the period of years, if not decades, when the federal government all but turned its back on the needs of…

Despite declines in youth violence nationally in the past decade, incidence of youth violence and victimization--from assaults to homicide--continue to be pressing concerns in public safety and public health. Youth violence is also a particular concern for low-income, minority communities, where poverty, family instability, and unemployment…

Examines the alternative meaning of economic development in an urban context and attempts to link the literature on community development in North America to concepts about economic development in developing countries. Looks at five strategies of community-based economic development, emphasizing internationalization of development policy. (Author)

The potential of the community development corporation (CDC) as a vital component of inner-city development politics is explored and its limitations are outlined. In some neighborhoods, nonprofit CDCs have helped build an alternative social production process and have advanced a new and progressive development regime. (SLD)

Conference papers on community development problems and prospects deal with needs, methods, objectives, resources, and the role of universities, with particular reference to urban areas. Concerns include deficiencies in knowledge, leadership, government, and the quality of urban life; land use and urban design; principles of economic development…

This compendium report presents papers on what mayors have done to revitalize their cities. These efforts have been concentrated on improving schools and educational outcomes, renewing strong neighborhoods, investing in infrastructure, improving public health facilities, and reducing crime. The reports include: "City of Akron: The Akron…

Explores possibilities of inner-city networking, and provides a description of the federal government's Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP). The authors also enumerate the challenges faced by inner-city communities establishing such networks and describes TIIAP-funded programs meeting those challenges that…

Investigates ways communities can assess their needs and plan ways to use telecommunications technologies to address those needs. Experiences from four urban communities are examined, as are barriers to access and issues regarding telephone service access. (GR)

The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 represents recent congressional action designed to improve the housing and living conditions of the nation's poor. Like the 1974 act, the older Federal model cities program (1968-72) was designed to benefit low and moderate income families, provide alternative uses for available funds, and allow…

The activities of the Community Development Corporation (CDC), founded in 1967 to alleviate urban poverty in the United States, are analyzed in this book. The overall strategies used by the CDC, including the acquisition of existing businesses, development of new businesses, investments in physical assets of the community, assistance through loans…

This report identifies funding priorities to assist governmental and philanthropic agencies in meeting the long-range needs of the Latino community of Los Angeles (California). Information was gathered from a community survey, a survey of Latino community leaders, and focus groups comprised of representatives from various sectors of the Latino…

Urban universities are often characterized as economic engines--directly and indirectly serving the needs of the communities within which they are situated. However, the relationship between urban universities and their neighbors is often strained. Reflecting on the University of Illinois at Chicago's Neighborhoods Initiative (UICNI) and its…