Digital Commons Network^™

The Baysider : June 2017, Bayside Neighborhood Association

The Baysider

The Baysider (1999 - 2018) a community newspaper, published by the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Bayside is an inner-city Portland neighborhood flanked by Parkside, Back Cove, Downtown (a.k.a. Intown), and the East End. Feature articles focused on Bayside, though also included many city themes.

Delta Hands For Hope: A Force For Reconciliation And Sustainable Development In The Delta?, Mary D. Travis

Honors Theses

This case study focuses on the question of whether Delta Hands for Hope, a distinctive, possibly unique faith-based organization, is able to facilitate racial reconciliation and sustainable community development in the Delta community of Shaw. If so, is it a potential model for sustainable development for other communities of the Delta and beyond? This thesis builds on existing literature about sustainable development and development in the Mississippi Delta. The original, empirical research is based on Grounded Theory methodology, a participant/observer perspective, and data gathered through in-depth, open-ended interviews. This research work suggests that racial division is pervasive in every area …

City Of Oberlin, Comprehensive Housing Study And Needs Analysis, Kirby Date, Kathryn W. Hexter, Charlie Post, N. Colt Ossoff, Arleesha Wilson

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The Center for Community Planning and Development was engaged by the City of Oberlin, Ohio to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment. A fact-finding study with recommendations, it is intended to support future policy discussion and visioning as part of the City’s planned comprehensive plan process in the coming year. This study was completed with input and guidance from the City and a Housing Study Steering Committee of community stakeholders, a Community Open House, and interviews with residents, workers, business owners, and community leaders. Data analysis demonstrated a need for additional housing for low-income families, starter housing for younger households, …

Welcoming Immigrants: An Opportunity To Strengthen Rural Communities, Athena K. Ramos

Journal of Extension

Rural communities matter. Almost a quarter of the Midwest's population lives in rural communities, but emerging demographic patterns, including the increase of Latinos, are changing the landscapes of rural Midwestern communities. Often, the rise in the Latino population is the deciding factor between growth or decline for a rural community. This circumstance presents a unique opportunity for Extension professionals and communities to initiate best practices around community building and welcoming of newcomers, especially immigrants. We need to harness the strength of all rural residents to create vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities that are centers of creativity and innovation.

Capacity Building And Community Resilience: A Pilot Analysis Of Education And Employment Indicators Before And After An Extension Intervention, Russell Weaver

Journal of Extension

This article reports on an analysis of the effects of a quasinatural experiment in which 16 rural communities participated in public discussion, leadership training, and community visioning as part of an Extension program at Montana State University. Difference-in-differences methods reveal that key U.S. Census socioeconomic indicators either improved more rapidly or declined more slowly in communities that took part in the program, relative to a statistically matched control group. These findings offer persuasive circumstantial evidence for the ability of Extension programs to build community resilience. The findings and methodology, therefore, have important implications for Extension's role in current public and …

An Examination Of Perspectives On Community Poverty: A Case Study Of A Junior Civic Association, Monica Heimos Heimos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations have become a necessary staple in the lives of people and communities experiencing poverty. Many of these organizations provide services that they think their communities need. The solutions and services these organizations provide are incumbent on what the organizations think causes poverty. Although the motivations behind these organizations have good intentions, their approach to poverty could further jeopardize people and communities by not providing proper or necessary services that have the ability to help people get out of poverty. To explore how organizational values and perspectives on poverty are operationalized, I examined one nonprofit grassroots organization in Tampa …

Boom, Bust And Beyond: Arts And Sustainability In Calumet, Michigan, Richelle Winkler, Lorri Oikarinen, Heather L. Simpson, Melissa Michaelson, Mayra Sanchez Gonzalez

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Cycles of boom and bust plague mining communities around the globe, and decades after the bust the skeletons of shrunken cities remain. This article evaluates strategies for how former mining communities cope and strive for sustainability in the decades well beyond the bust, using a case study of Calumet, Michigan. In 1910, Calumet was at the center of the mining industry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but in the century since its peak, mining employment steadily declined until the last mine closed in 1968, and the population declined by over 80%. This paper explores challenges, opportunities, and progress toward …

The Baysider : February 2016, Bayside Neighborhood Association

The Baysider

The Baysider (1999 - 2018) a community newspaper, published by the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Bayside is an inner-city Portland neighborhood flanked by Parkside, Back Cove, Downtown (a.k.a. Intown), and the East End. Feature articles focused on Bayside, though also included many city themes.

The Baysider : October 2015, Bayside Neighborhood Association

The Baysider

The Baysider (1999 - 2018) a community newspaper, published by the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Bayside is an inner-city Portland neighborhood flanked by Parkside, Back Cove, Downtown (a.k.a. Intown), and the East End. Feature articles focused on Bayside, though also included many city themes.

Institutions Of Higher Education And Cultural Heritage Tourism: A Case Study Of The Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, Terence Michael Gilley

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The southwest region of Virginia has an unstable economy, which cycles through periods of growth and decline. The strategic plans for southwest Virginia propose cultural heritage tourism as a sustainable industry for economic development of this rural region. Institutions of higher education provide education and training for a qualified workforce and community service. This qualitative, single case study on The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail examines the roles of institutions of higher education with regard to cultural heritage tourism for sustainable community and economic development in rural areas. The data sources for this study are the administrators of …

Designing A Community-Based Water Harvesting System: Understanding Water Use In Endallah, Tanzania, Marisa Henry, Grace Baldwin, Garrett Quathamer

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

The World Health Organization (WHO) states it is a human right to have access to sufficient, safe water within one kilometer of the home (WHO, 2015b). However, 1.6 billion people experience economic water shortage and struggle to secure water for personal and domestic use (UN-Water & FAO, 2007). In the village of Endallah, Tanzania, seasonal rainfalls, high rates of evaporation, and inadequate water harvesting infrastructure leave many of the approximately 900 households facing economic water shortage. Around 90% of villagers depend on rainfed subsistence farming; however, annual crop yields are not consistent due to sporadic rainfall. The purpose of this …

A Critical Analysis Of Volunteer Tourism And The Implications For Developing Communities, Haley A. Garrison

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The practice of volunteer tourism has recently experienced a rise in both popularity and participation, along with research into the effectiveness of the approaches to service taken in foreign countries. This type of tourism is commonly described as an eco-friendly and economically sustainable alternative to traditional methods of international travel. Participants typically express altruistic motivations behind their desire to travel, as conventional touristic activities are paired with various forms of volunteer work. Though this paper describes significant benefits associated with this growing industry, many critiques have also explored the limitations of a voluntourism approach to community development. In contrast to …

Transformative Learning Applied To The Development Of Community Capacity In A Local Grassroots Organization, Betty Sue Turner

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation assesses the impact of structural constraints to participation on residents of a rural, non-core county and members of a local grassroots organization in conjunction with the measurement of grassroots members for the presence of transformative learning. This study was motivated by three research questions: (1) To what extent may the presence of structural constraints to participation in community action activities be found in the adult residents of a rural, non-core county? (2) To what extent may the presence of structural constraints to participation in community action activities be found in members of a local grassroots organization? (3) How …

Housing And Child Health: Safety Net Strategies, Regulations And Neighborhood Challenges, Daniel Skinner Ph.D., Jenelle Donovan-Lyle, Kelly J. Kelleher M.D., M.P.H.

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Abstract: “Improving Neighborhoods: An Innovative Program of Hospital-Community Collaboration”

Although often overlooked as a key factor in health status, stable and affordable housing plays a critical role in protecting children and adolescents. This article examines possibilities as well as challenges in health-oriented housing interventions for children, with particular attention to understanding how the law—and its limits—shape the nature of non-profit housing work. First, the authors discuss the scholarly literature on the relationship between health and housing to consider why healthcare institutions generally and children’s hospitals specifically might enter into the challenging fray of housing advocacy for the poor. They then …

An Application Of Asset Based Community Development Approach: A Case Study From Rural Community In Egypt, Alyaa Farouk Hessin

Theses and Dissertations

Many communities in Egypt, specifically the rural areas, are unquestionably distressed places as a result of the major economic and political shifts that have occurred over the past few years. Strategies of community development are currently viewed as the radical remedy for poverty related problems. In Egypt, community development strategies are usually driven from traditional approaches including charity, needs and rights based approaches which focus on basic needs like shelters and food. These approaches have proved a deficiency as they ignore the structural causes of poverty and address symptoms only. In response to these shortages came an alternative capacity focused …

The Role Of Higher Education In Rural Community Development, Anita Faye Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions commonly play a role in community development. Rural communities may be even more dependent on the university's investment. As higher education has looked to meet demands of stakeholders calling for greater accountability, it has become necessary for universities to be able to justify the effectiveness of these efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine the elements necessary for successful rural community development in Western Oklahoma. Utilizing the Delphi research method, 20 community development experts in rural Western Oklahoma participated in the three-round survey process. In the initial survey, participants collectively submitted a list of 41 …

Sentiments Of Community Stakeholders Living In Southern Nevada Neighborhoods, Erin Sheehy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Community stakeholders provided insight to their local neighborhoods and shared their thoughts about the potential redevelopment of their neighborhoods. This study utilized data from the Southern Nevada Strong ethnographic research project. Ethnographic research was conducted over ten weeks in Summer 2013. Neighborhood observations and interviews with community stakeholders were conducted to understand how neighborhoods are utilized, how residents feel about potential redevelopment, and what areas of the neighborhoods residents would like to see improved in the future. Photographs were also collected to further examine the characteristics, aesthetics, and spatial landscape of the neighborhoods. The purpose of this qualitative research project …

Building Communities As A Necessary Tool For Sustainability, China G. Ageros

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

From ten thousand years ago back to the beginning of human existence, people lived in small communities of hunter-gatherers; tight knit communities who depended upon each other for their very survival. There was no ownership of land, homes, crops or animals, every thing they did have was communally held and shared in a term Ryan & Jetha (2010), call “fierce egalitarianism” (p. 9), sharing was mandatory. Humans have been around in our current manifestation for roughly two hundred thousand years and the earliest evidence of agriculture is from approximately ten thousand years ago (Ryan & Jetha, 2010), or five percent …

A Food Policy Council Guide For Extension Professionals, Nurgul Fitzgerald, Kathleen Morgan

Journal of Extension

Public interest in food systems and national prevention strategies focusing on cross-sectoral, community and systems level approaches paved the way for growing numbers of food policy councils. These councils function as organizations to discuss food-related problems, foster coordination across sectors, and influence food policies. Extension professionals can serve as "change agents," bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, form cross-sectoral collaborations, take leadership roles, and build community capacity through food policy councils. Based on expert interviews and our experiences in establishing a council, we present practice recommendations to serve as a concise how to guide for Extension professionals.

The Baysider : February 2014, Bayside Neighborhood Association

The Baysider

The Baysider (1999 - 2018) a community newspaper, published by the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Bayside is an inner-city Portland neighborhood flanked by Parkside, Back Cove, Downtown (a.k.a. Intown), and the East End. Feature articles focused on Bayside, though also included many city themes.

From Climate Action To Coalition: Ypsilanti And Emu As Models For Sustainability, Erica Mooney

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Inspired by leading EMU's engagement with Ypsilanti's climate Action Plan in 2011, a journey began to discovering ways to cultivate healthy relationships through sustainability. How have other universities addressed climate change? How have other municipalities work with schools addressing sustainability? I explored national programs as well as a thorough review of Michigan's other public universitites. This thesis is a mix of best practices research and a proposal to both city and school administrators and stakeholders. Reviewing what other campuses and towns have done to address environmental and social justice, and the complex realms of economic and community development, a coalition …

Community Development For The 21st Century: Asset-Building And The Resurgence Of Pittsburgh, Jason D. Tigano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Revitalizing a distressed community is a difficult challenge. Oftentimes it can take decades to achieve. Pittsburgh's East Liberty and Lawrenceville neighborhoods had fallen on hard times in the late part of the 20th century. However, in recent years, both were able to identify and leverage the assets of the community as a part of their revitalization strategy. Led by the efforts of local community organizations, these communities developed innovative redevelopment strategies that ultimately produced meaningful revitalization in both neighborhoods. The following is a study to understand if and how asset-building theories of community development influenced the strategies used to revitalize …

Migration Patterns Among Young Adults In The United States: Environmental, Social, And Economic Explanations, Fangming Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Young adult migration is a key factor in community development. The goal of this paper is to study what kinds of places attract young adults and what kinds are losing them. Linear regression is conducted to analyze what place-specific factors explain migration patterns among young adults. These factors include economic, social, and environmental variables. This study finds that social and environmental factors are just as important as economic ones. Specifically, employment in the arts increases young adult net migration. Environmental variables, for example, natural amenities and protected federal lands are particularly important in rural settings in attracting young adults. These …

Integrating Select Industry Into New Urbanism, Marcus Wax

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Civic Ecology: Living Community Systems For Sustainability, Tim Smith

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Civic Ecology is a stakeholder-driven, whole systems framework for creating sustainable communities. The framework focuses on empowering citizens of all ages, cultures, and abilities to envision, create, and manage their community’s unique “software” -- the integrated energy, nutrient, water, waste, material, and food systems, as well as economic flows and cultural interactions that animate their place. Exploring and supporting these flows allows communities to enhance their local wealth (environmental, economic, and social), resilience, and competitiveness, and help them take control of designing and managing their future through collaboration and innovation. The Civic Ecology framework can be the foundation upon which …

Alternative Income Generating Opportunities: A Case Study In Mezquital, Mexico, Kristen Mattila

Latin American Studies ETDs

This thesis is an in-depth exploration of the situation of women in the border town of Mezquital, Mexico. The local experiences of women in Mezquital are situated within the larger theoretical debates of economic policy in Latin America, gender, labor and development. The theoretical analysis sets the stage to facilitate a process aimed at assisting the local women of Mezquital in creating alternative income generating opportunities to meet their specific economic needs and to highlight their talents. A participatory research process was implemented that incorporated the underlying assumptions of the gender and development paradigm. This case study is a snapshot …

Community Development, Cornelia Flora, Nancy Arnold, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

Our physical communities – the places we live and the people with whom we live – shape our lives. Often, our communities choose us; we are born into them, and we simply stay because it is what we know. Some get to choose or create their community. Others choose or are forced to leave. Rural communities differ widely in their economic base, culture values and practices, and social structure (Flora, 1992). The rural economy influences the opportunities with which we are presented, which in turn influences whether we leave or whether we stay. But the economy and jobs are not …

Closure Planning In A Developing Country - A Case Study From The Phu Kham Mine, Laos, Southeast Asia, Amy Mauric, C. D. Mccullough, Charlie Wilson-Clark, Andrew Witcomb, Jeff Millgate

Research outputs 2012

Mining in developing regions face significant challenges for effective closure planning. A maturing mine closure regulatory environment and limited capacity within government to regulate mine closure issues can present considerable risk from an operation to the regional community and environment. Alternatively, if the operation adopts leading practice international standards in recognition of their corporate responsibilities and social license‐to‐mine in developing countries, there may be significant opportunities for enhanced social and environmental outcomes for host country and mining company. Using a case study from the Phu Kham Mine, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), we discuss some of the key challenges to …

Razing Lafitte: Defending Public Housing From A Hostile State, Leigh Graham

Publications and Research

The contentious politics of the demolition of Lafitte public housing in post- Katrina New Orleans and its replacement with mixed-income properties is a telling case of the strategic conflicts housing advocates face in public housing revitalization. It reveals how the qualified outcomes of HOPE VI interact with local institutional and historical circumstances to confound the equity and social justice goals of housing and community development advocates. It shows the limits to public housing revitalization as an urban recovery strategy when hostile government leadership characterizes a region, and the state is recast as an adversary rather than revitalization partner. This case …

The Baysider : September / November 2011, Bayside Neighborhood Association

The Baysider

The Baysider (1999 - 2018) a community newspaper, published by the Bayside Neighborhood Association. Bayside is an inner-city Portland neighborhood flanked by Parkside, Back Cove, Downtown (a.k.a. Intown), and the East End. Feature articles focused on Bayside, though also included many city themes.