Creating Block-Level Sense of Community in Urban Neighborhoods

Year Awarded: 2002
Project Leaders:
John H. Schweitzer, Urban Affairs Programs; Rene Rosenbaum, Department of Resource Development; Annalie Campos, Urban Affairs Program; Judy Gardi, Citywide Network Center
$28,624

Project Description:
The breakdown of communities, decreasing civic engagement and social capital has unprecedented impacts on youth and families in urban neighborhoods. This study will examine how sense of community at the block level can be created and strengthened through community based interventions that were identified as highly catalytic recommendations by the NorthWest Lansing Neighborhood Summit. This project seeks to measure the effectiveness of a Community Building Handbook, block mapping, and catered social events as interventions for creating and strengthening sense of community at the block level; and to determine whether any increase in block level sense of community results in increased levels of civic engagement, perceived quality of life on the block, and reported health of the block’s residents.

Recent Developments:

A proposal to conduct an ethnographic study focused on an in-depth examination and analysis of what creates sense of community in 8 pre-identified blocks in Lansing and East Lansing areas has been reviewed and accepted. This project is funded by Urban Affairs Program at Michigan State University for six months with a budget of $ 20,000 which started in January 2003.

Project leaders are working with resident block leaders from 37 study blocks.

This collaborative study will examine how a sense of community can be created or strengthened in urban areas, one block at a time.

While there is a body of research showing the negative consequences of community breakdowns on youth and families, little work has been done to demonstrate how struggling communities can regain cohesion, promote civic participation, and improve the overall health and quality of life for families. This project will provide valuable practical information for community specialists, neighborhood leaders and residents, and will generate knowledge about the best kinds of interventions that foster community vitality.

"Residents living among neighbors who share a sense of community are more likely to engage in pro-social activities such as voting, recycling, and volunteering. They have less fear of crime and their adolescent male children are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior," said John Schweitzer, project co-leader and professor in Urban Affairs.

These pro-social activities often lead to the creation of strong local networks that are essential for developing social capital. Understanding what drives these activities will provide key insights for groups trying to promote not only the unity, but also the social mobility of communities and their members.

"Findings could be used by community developers, neighborhood leaders, and other community activists to build social capital in urban neighborhoods, block by block," said Schweitzer.

Researchers will work in selected Lansing neighborhoods, implementing interventions that range from passing out neighborhood handbooks to organizing meals and social events for residents. They will use pre-test and post-test surveys to examine which of these techniques best fosters the growth of pro-social behaviors that have been demonstrated to promote happier, healthier living environments.