Neighborhood participation in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.
Item
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Title
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Neighborhood participation in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.
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Identifier
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AAI9959227
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identifier
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9959227
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Creator
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Scott-Melnyk, Stephanie Diane.
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Contributor
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Adviser: John Seley
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Date
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2000
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social | Political Science, General | Sociology, Social Structure and Development
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Abstract
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This dissertation reports a study of how the residents of one neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York interact with each other, their neighborhood, and the government of the City of New York. This study investigates why residents of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn do or do not participate in three types of voluntary "neighborhood-based" organizations: block associations, neighborhood associations, and the Community Board.;Four main research questions are addressed: (1) Why do people participate in neighborhood-based organizations? (2) Why don't people participate in neighborhood-based organizations? (3) For those who do participate, how do they choose among block associations, neighborhood associations, and the Community Board? (4) What are the relationships among these types of neighborhood-based organizations? Qualitative and quantitative methods were used, including participant observation, a door-to-door survey, in-depth interviews with neighborhood residents, and interviews with New York City government officials.;Findings indicate that those who participate in block and neighborhood associations do match the demographic profiles of participators described in participation literature. These similarities are overshadowed, however, by differences in motivations for participation in block and neighborhood associations. Motivations for participation are discussed according to three theoretical frameworks. Non-participation is examined separately for the three types of organizations. In general, block associations were found to focus on social issues, neighborhood associations on issue organizing, and Community Boards on local politics. Relationships among the organizations vary according to the issue at hand.;Differences in participation rates were found among different racial and ethnic groups in this diverse neighborhood, and were also related to length of residence in the neighborhood. Social capital is unevenly distributed across the neighborhood. Long-term, generally Hispanic, residents resent the gentrifiers who arrived in the 1960s, re-named the neighborhood, and continue to focus on increasing property values to the perceived exclusion of issues important to non-participators. This is particularly important when these organizations claim to speak for the entire neighborhood in political matters.;Implications of this research are given for academic researchers, leaders of neighborhood-based organizations, and public policy makers.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
