NIMBYism, the popular and short form for "Not In My Back Yard", describes the resistance and outright opposition by residents, either within a distinct place such as a neighbourhood, or, more broadly, in a larger civic area right up to a town or city level, against some planned nearby facility, service, or changed land use. NIMBYism is also about…

In this paper I argue that values of democracy and social justice in education would seem to have been displaced in recent decades by managerialist norms that are linked to the presumed needs of business and the economy of the nation. I am concerned that conceptualizations of the nature and purpose of education, and of the roles of teachers, are…

Discusses the functions that residential areas fulfill for their inhabitants, particularly the issues of school integration and rehabilitation of distressed neighborhoods. (JOW)

The effects of such demographic variables as the baby boom and childless marriages on the demand for urban housing are discussed. (RLV)

This paper describes the goals and perspective of the Bicentennial Ethnic Racial Coalition (BERC), as they exemplify the relationship between emerging neighborhood consciousness and ethnic/racial consciousness. The perspective of BERC, formed in the early 1970s, is that Federal domestic policy of the past three decades has not appreciably…

Healthy and successful cities are built out of blocks and neighborhoods. Cities are too large and varied to be regarded or run as uniform entities. Block associations are proposed to be one of the major tools that are available for stabilizing and maintaining urban neighborhoods in a fashion that is both inexpensive and responsive to the needs of…

The influx of middle class individuals and families from the suburbs to the cities is reversing the trend of decay in American cities. Rehabilitation and revitalization are underway in many downtown areas. (RLV)

Describes experiences of the Neighborhood Participation Project (Nashville, Tennessee), which studied citizen participation in using research data for neighborhood improvement. Suggests that creating partnerships between social scientists and citizens can improve social science research, enhance research utilization, and help communities to help…

Physical-economic models of neighborhood change, popularly used by neighborhood planners, are beginning to give way to more politically oriented models. Such models do not call for blind community control, but for facilitating the development of neighborhood political capacities. (Author/RLV)

Considers (1) how judicious planning and administration of public parks in urban areas can act to bridge racial divisions; and (2) how park administrators can, by creating neighborhood parks, give new focus to neighborhoods and prevent their further deterioration. (Author/GC)

This paper examines the attempts to rebuild downtown Detroit. Two models for redevelopment are examined: (1) the use of private sector investment as exemplified by the Renaissance Center Complex; and (2) the "solidary neighborhood" model, which involves the use of community labor and participation. The "Renaissance model" of…

If the neighborhoods' movement faces up to the implications of one of its important claims, namely, that by preserving communities, a city can promote better values than by destroying them, then it must determine how the process of political education and organizing can foster better attitudes throughout the community. (Author/EB)

Describes lifelong commitment of middle-school principal and major W.J. Jones to Coahoma, a small town in Mississippi Delta. Thanks to his efforts, town recently acquired a sewage system, blacktopped roads, and new housing (through Habitat for Humanity and World Vision). Although town elementary school fell victim to consolidation and children are…

A switchover by any government to a more integrated, community-based approach to rural development will inevitably require the recruitment, training, and effective "backstopping" of large numbers of front-line workers. (SSH)

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)