Community Based Regionalism

The Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community at the University of California, Santa Cruz, recently released the short report, "Community Building, Community Bridging: Linking Neighborhood Improvement Initiatives and the New Regionalism in the San Francisco Bay Area." The report aims to cover the Center's experience working with three neighborhoods in the Bay Area around better linking their community development strategies with regional dynamics and regional opportunities.

"In recent years, the field of community development has undergone dramatic change. Comprehensivecommunity initiatives have emergedthat attempt to work across policy silos and integrate strategies in the realms of housing, employment, and health. Community organizinghas resurfaced as a core element of neighborhood improvement, helping to strengthen social fabric and create new types of partnerships forunderserved urban areas... Another key trend has been a growing interestin "thinking and linking" to the region. Advocates increasingly argue that many problems affecting neighborhoods, including the departureof jobs, shortfalls in housing, and gaps in transportation, are influenced by regional decisions."

[Editor's note: The link below is to a 1.2MB PDF document.]

Thanks to California Center for Regional Leadership Email Newsletter