I loved Mr. Rogers when I was little. He showed us how to do crafts, took us on tours of local factories, and showed us a pretty cool imaginary land accessed by trolley. Only now that I am much older, do I realize all the really good messaging that was included in the show (though I am sure not all of it was intentional). Not only did he talk kids through subjects like divorce and family members dying, but he walked around his neighborhood, getting to know it and the people who lived there (let's not forget Mr. McFeely, the mailman). To me, the show was conveying the importance of the neighborhood as a solid community unit.
In Roseland's chapter on governance, he discusses how neighborhood associations can be "very successful at promoting leadership, responsibility, and collaboration among community members." By forming an association, people are empowered to take action to solve problems quite literally in their own backyards. The associations function as miniature units of governance, bringing neighbors together, giving them experience with civic participation. Roseland also says that members of the association "can address all areas of local concern, whether they concern social, educational, economic, land, environmental or cultural dimensions of the community." The association does not have to be purely homeowners or even just residents; it should involve all members of the neighborhood including business owners.
Bloomington
I guess it should come as no surprise that Bloomington has a thriving scene of neighborhood associations. (This city is really on top of that kind of stuff.) Many of the 49 neighborhood
associations have their own websites, such as Elm Heights. The city of Bloomington lists the associations on its website as part of its HAND (Housing and Neighborhood Development) program. The HAND program provides the neighborhood associations of Bloomington with "tools and resources for planning and development that reflect their individual needs and to facilitate communication between neighborhoods and City Departments." Neighborhood maps on the website only residents to know which association covers each area. The program also provides grants to the associations for neighborhood projects.Seattle
Since the plan is to move to Seattle next year, I thought I'd check out what kind of neighborhood associations are over there. Again, no surprise, Seattle has a very robust program. 264 associations give people a voice and the ability to improve their community. Like in Bloomington, the city of Seattle has a program to support the associations, The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Their mission is to engage residents in civic participation and empower them to make positive contributions to their communities. They also strive to involve commonly
underrepresented groups including ethnic groups and immigrants. Their programs include everything from dealing with pet loss to social justice. The coolest project is the P-Patch project which is a network of community gardens throughout Seattle. The gardens serve to improve the appearance of neighborhoods, increase involvement and interest in the community, and provide food.
Ostrom's View
I have heard quite a bit about Elinor Ostrom while at SPEA, but I was actually surprised to have her name come up when I Googled "neighborhood governance." I didn't realize that her theory challenges the famous tragedy of the commons, saying that common pool resources can be maintained sustainable by those who depend on them. This theory can apply to neighborhoods. The residents of a neighborhood feel a sense of collective ownership. Ostrom maintains that self-governance of a neighborhood will not only be effective but is more likely to be successful than a top-down approach by a city government. So basically, a Nobel prize winner is telling us that neighborhood associations are the way to go.
Yay for neighborhoods! Visiting my husband's family in Philly last week made me miss my childhood. His folks have lived in the same tiny house for 55 years on a quiet little block, and my son was able to run outside and play with the neighbor kids that he had never met. We live near downtown Bloomington, which is great for biking and walking, but we don't have any kids living near us, our road feels a little busy, and we don't have a front yard. That's an important element I didn't consider when we rented this house! The neighborhood association is great, though, and has picnics every year in the our little park, and serves as a way for folks to meet and work together to make our neighborhood better. I'm curious to know how it is governed; I never thought of that before, but your post makes me wonder.
ReplyDeleteYour post made me appreciate Mr. Rogers all the more! I agree that neighborhood associations are an essential component of local governance, and are a great resource for citizens to use and to get involved in. Having active neighborhood associations provides a venue for neighbors to communicate with each other and collaborate in order to create the type of community environment in which they want to live. I hope that people in the Bloomington area are aware of what a great resource we have in HAND, and also the City of Bloomington, both of which work to support neighborhood organizations and fund neighborhood projects.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the exposure to Elinor Ostrom's work, I wasn't familiar with Ostrom and it's pretty exciting that she is a local! I think it's important to recognize that her work is focused on a special case of CPR (Common Pool Resource Theory) in which players are engaged in a long term game where equilibrium results in cooperation. I'm not trying to delegitimize her work, only making the point that the "tragedy of the commons" is the rule, and that Ostrom's work is more like an exception to the rule.
ReplyDeleteNice post Katie! I was really interested to check out some of the neighborhood associations in the area, because where I come from, that concept is absolutely non-existent. When I think of things like a neighborhood association meeting, my mind immediately jumps to Star's Hollow from Gilmore Girls... Anyway. My hometown is roughly 3,000 people, and though it probably wouldn't be super helpful to have a lot of neighborhood associations, I can see the benefit in building governance and a sense of community.
ReplyDeleteI lived in two different neighborhoods growng up that had strong neighborhood watches and associations, which were very successful at achieving their aims. Tackling issues like safety, improvements, and community involvement are important to every family and individual living in typical suburbia, so joining together towards these types of common goals is much more effective in producing lasting change than just sitting in your living room or over the dinner table, complaining :).
ReplyDeleteGlad you discovered Elinor Ostrom. If you read back through Ryan's posts, you will get some more insight into why her work was deserving of a Nobel for economics. May you find a lovely neighborhood in Seattle and get involved with your neighbors!
ReplyDelete