The educational component of community development and the role of professionals who assist community groups are discussed. Community development as an educational process helps citizens understand the many facets of their community and learn how to obtain support to maintain or improve it. (Author)

An attempt is made to solve the problem of how the existence of a natural ruling class in the United States determines the shape and character of the urban residential neighborhood. (Author/RLV)

This article traces federal housing policies related to single family home ownership from their creation in the 1930s to the present. It focuses on policies of the Federal Housing Administration and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board as well as other federal regulators of financial institutions. (Author/RLV)

It is possible to outline neighborhood categories based on residential attitudes of neighborhood identification. These three neighborhood categories are: (1) emergent; (2) traditional; and (3) immediate. Each category is likely to make different kinds of demands on policy makers. (RLV)

Discusses the Gulbenkian Rhetoric (which sees the purpose of community work as inducing and enabling people to adapt to changed circumstances), outlines different models of change in respect to policy, social relations, and politics, discusses middle-range factors which influence change, and outlines the relevance of the 'social movements'…

Outlines a community action process that American Indian communities could use to develop their own drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs. Describes a community prevention system framework developed by the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention. Compares the community empowerment system with the agency-directed service delivery model. (SV)

Four community surveys in the boomtown Delta, Utah, 1975-86, revealed that, while some social disruption occurred during rapid growth years, even greater changes occurred in anticipation of the boom. Community satisfaction and social attachment did not recover when the boom was over. Contains 37 references. (SV)

Presents the theoretical position that as people participate in sociocultural activities, they contribute to the development of community practices that simultaneously contribute to the individuals' own development. Illustrates this argument using observations of the developmental processes of individual Girl Scouts and of community traditions of…

Maxine Waller describes how concern for the children of Ivanhoe (Virginia) led her to become president of the Civic League. The Civic League has mobilized the town to renovate buildings and create a riverside park, promoted business ventures, and sponsored adult education classes and an oral history project. (SV)

Distinguishes among six strategies of community change, identifies citizen participation as only one of several approaches, and challenges practitioners to fit the strategy to their situation and determine which is most apt to empower their community. (Author/JOW)

Three small Colorado towns that faced a declining economy as the mining resource ran out used gambling-based tourism as a strategy for community development. Although economic benefits to the towns have far exceeded expectations, negative social, environmental, and political changes, such as crime alcoholism, traffic problems, and conflicts…

Examines the ritualistic nature of community art, distinguishing elements and qualities essential for it to effectively generate private, organic relationships in settings where public independent relationships prevail. Research on two community art projects indicates that community art provides a ritual framework for social interaction by…

Recent research documents the problem of sexual violence across communities, often finding its causes to be embedded in community and cultural norms, thus demonstrating the need for community-focused solutions. In this article we synthesize research from community psychology on community change and prevention with more individually focused studies…

Youth-adult partnerships (Y-APs) for organizational and community change represent an innovative practice in the United States. Innovations are typically a challenge to implement, so it is not surprising that youth organizations are seeking guidance on how to adopt and sustain Y-APs. This article brings contemporary scholarship to bear on the…

Growing numbers of school districts across North America are using study circles to build communitywide coalitions that make schools work better for everyone. Study circles are inclusive community conversations that lead directly to school or community change. They include a combination of large-group meetings and facilitated small-group…