UTSOA

Course Description

Community development encompasses a wide range of strategies aimed at the revitalization of low-income communities. It has roots in such diverse movements as the organizations of freed slaves formed after the civil war, the settlement house movement of the early 20th century, the civil rights movement of the 1950s and beyond, and fights against urban renewal and highway construction in many urban neighborhoods. Community development efforts has historically been defined by their focus on changing the living conditions and life chances experienced by residents of a particular place. Community Development Corporations have been most closely associated with this work: over time, they have become expert in physical redevelopment, particularly of affordable housing.

Yet, ironically, success in physical redevelopment has lead many to question the field's focus on housing and physical change. Physical transformation of dilapidated neighborhoods like the South Bronx still left residents without good jobs, with poor social services and failing schools. Leaders in the field began to call for a broader view of the field's work and for new ways to approach it. A range of approaches has been tried in recent years, focusing on issues as diverse as the strengthening the social fabric of communities, integrating residents into regional labor markets, and building assets and wealth (as opposed to income) for individuals and communities. Increasingly, community planning efforts have sought to identify broad community goals and build partnerships among organizations with shared interests in community change. The larger context for this reconsideration of the field includes declining federal support for housing and rising awareness that local government--and local politics--will increasingly determine what resources are available to carry out community plans.

This course will introduce students to the field of community development, its evolution over time, the role of both federal and local government in shaping it over time, and key debates that have animated it in recent years. We will discuss the experience of cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Chicago, where the CDC model has been most successful and the factors associated with this success. We will contrast this to the experience of Austin, where success has been limited and achieved in different ways. We will discuss the emerging movement around "regional equity" and how it relates to community development. We will hear from local leaders and organizations and conduct research on community issues in partnership with local organizations.

Course requirements

This course requires students to be active participants and leaders in weekly class discussion and to be pro-active in designing and carrying out individual assignments and group research projects. Assignments will include a community observation exercise, a policy memo, and team work as part of a class project. Further details will be distributed in class.