Cork, the Republic of Ireland's second most populous city, is one of 12 UNESCO Learning Cities globally. Becoming a learning city requires a sophisticated audit of education, learning and other socio-economic indicators. It also demands that cities become proactively engaged in delivering to the objectives set by the "Beijing Declaration on…

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…

This paper examines local political activism in Columbus, Ohio, between 1900 and 1980. There are two major parts to the paper. First, through a content analysis of a local newspaper "The Columbus Dispatch" over the past 80 years, the salient issues and context within which neighborhood activism occurs are defined. Data were obtained from…

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…

The lives of poor minority city residents demonstrate the diversity, multiple potentials, and vulnerability to external structures. In spite of the stereotypes of failure and the very real problems of the urban poor, there are many strengths among the so-called urban underclass and there are aspects of life that are successful and productive. In…

Blacks have spent much time and energy "filling other people's pockets" (as Margaret Walker has said) but have not addressed the needs of their own community. Black communities are in a state of deterioration for which the treatment must be self-help. In this paper the example of an unhealthy organism is used as a metaphor for prescribing a cure…

Crime Prevention deals with the effort to control crime and the fear of crime through a variety of community resources. Research efforts of the Department of Justice, first developed in the early 1970's, focused on increasing knowledge and understanding to promote more effective crime prevention. The National Institute of Justice has sponsored…

Rural and economic development efforts are inadequate responses to changing rural conditions. They fail because they are often top-down driven and few influential people are involved. Minnesota's Project Future is designed to help distressed communities take charge of their own direction. Developed on the principle of collective empowerment, this…

To provide a focus for citizens to identify needs and to mobilize resources to support a process for community development, the Toronto Board of Education initiated a number of policies and community-school programs during the 1970s. These policies and programs also provided an opportunity for the neighborhood school to actively participate in…

What is needed to help children succeed at high levels is already known, and that vision and commitment are essential to bring about reform efforts that research has already established as effective. Conditions that contribute to academic success and well being include nurturing and supportive families, economically and socially healthy…

This collection of papers shows the significant achievements that can be made through collective strategies that empower the poor to become active partners in revitalizing their neighborhoods. The 12 chapters are: (1) "The Role of Social Capital in Combating Poverty" (Mark R. Warren, J. Phillip Thompson, and Susan Saegert); (2) "Social Capital and…

Some of the issues involved in promoting home ownership among blacks and investment in inner city communities are discussed in this paper. The experiences of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in revitalizing Bedford Stuyvesant are described. Economic barriers to prospective home ownership are identified and strategies and programs…

This paper is a preliminary discussion of a line of social inquiry stimulated by interest in both the continuing pluralistic nature of society and the continued support for alternative educational systems among various segments of the society. In a society where public education is increasingly becoming a monopoly, the question of free choice and…

The major portion of this presentation describes research results and policy implications of the Family Matters Project, a longitudinal study of social contexts as they affect children and families during the period of transition from home to school. Also provided in this portion are highlights of what was learned from delivering to 160 families…