Abstract
This paper examines the response of residents in one inner-city, racially, and economically diverse neighborhood to a sudden increase in crime, drugs and disorder. Rather than withdrawing, residents in this neighborhood responded by organizing a major collective effort to develop a stabilization plan for the neighborhood. Factors useful in understanding this atypical response include a citywide structure that encourages citizen participation, the city government's commitment to the neighborhood, a history of neighborhood activism, and residents' commitment to the neighborhood. A social movement perspective that examines the nature of successful social movement organizations, the political context of movement activities, and micromovement processes is useful in analyzing cases of neighborhood activism.
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Donnelly, P.G., Majka, T.J. Residents' Efforts at Neighborhood Stabilization: Facing the Challenges of Inner-City Neighborhoods. Sociological Forum 13, 189–213 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022192431879
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022192431879