Difference between revisions of "Neighborhood action"

Revision as of 23:56, 4 April 2006

Over and above the definitions in the related section on "Neighborhood," neighborhoods have several advantages as an area for policy analysis as well as an arena for social action:

1. Neighborhoods are common, and perhaps close to universal, since most people in urbanized areas would probably consider themselves to be living in one.
2. Neighborhoods are convenient, and always accessible, since you are already in your neighborhood when you walk out the door.
3. Successful neighborhood action frequently requires little specialized technical skill, and often little or no money. Action may call for an investment of time, but material costs are often low.
4. With neighborhood action, compared to activity on larger scales, results are more likely to be visible and quickly forthcoming. The streets are cleaner; the crosswalk is painted; the trees are planted; the festival draws a crowd.
5. Visible and swift results are indicators of success; and since success is reinforcing, the probability of subsequent neighborhood action is increased.
6. Because neighborhood action usually involves others, such actions create or strengthen connections and relationships with other neighbors, leading in turn to a variety of potentially positive effects, often hard to predict.
7. Over and above these community advantages, neighborhood activity may simply be enjoyable and fun for those taking part.

But in addition to these benefits, considerable research indicates that strong and cohesive neighborhoods and communities are linked – quite possibly causally linked – to decreases in crime, better outcomes for children, and improved physical and mental health. The social support that a strong neighborhood may provide can serve as a buffer against various forms of adversity.

Good starting places for documentation of these effects can be found in the evidence reviewed by Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone (Simon & Schuster, 2000), and by Robert Sampson in the Annual Review of Sociology, 2002.

For all these reasons, both social scientists and activists may be rewarded by neighborhood study and involvement. For further description of community benefits, plus guidance for and examples of successful neighborhood action, see also the section on Promoting Neighborhood Action (Chapter 26, Section 12) in the Community Tool Box, online at ctb.ku.edu.

(Submitted by Bill Berkowitz, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA)