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Urban Neighborhoods Work Group

Overview

The Urban Neighborhoods Work Group consists of faculty and students from multiple disciplinary backgrounds, including community and environmental psychology, sociology, economics, law, and urban planning. We focus on problems that are distributed unevenly across neighborhoods and cities and should thus be understood and addressed at the local level. Conceptually, the forces that shape society operate on multiple scales, from individual to national and global. This group aims to influence all levels, but our research is focused at the impacts and interventions that emerge on neighborhood, community-based-organizational, or metropolitan scales. Participants include Paul Speer (co-group coordinator), Jim Fraser (co-group coordinator), Doug Perkins , Maury Nation, Dan Cornfield, James Foster, Laurie Hauber, Brian Christens, Dan Cooper, Diana Jones, Karl Jones, Mick Nelson, Courte Voorhees, Jill Robinson, Emily Thaden, and John Vick. Joining Vanderbilt and the Urban Group in August 2008 will be Professors Susan Saegert from City University of New York and Beth Shinn from New York University.

Substantively, the issues addressed by this work group include (but are not limited to) housing, homelessness, sprawl, neighborhood revitalization, urban growth, crime, education, and urban planning. Much of this research examines efforts at influencing these issues—primarily through community organizing, participatory planning, and non-profit social services.

Sample Research Projects

Our research collaborations in Nashville include The Neighborhoods Resource Center, the Nashville Civic Design Center, Tying Nashville Together, and Woodbine Community Organization. On the national level collaborations include PICO. Along with the Organizational Change and International Communities work groups, our group is one of the main participants in an international research network studying issues of power in community (see research network proposal or our blog) as well as in the Community Action-Research Centers network of the Society for Community Research & Action.

Currently, members of this work group are collaborating with local housing experts to develop an affordable housing initiative.  In March 2008 CCS will co-host an affordable housing conference. 

Sample Publications

Christens, B., & Speer, P.W.(2005). Predicting violent crime using urban and suburban densities. Behavior & Social Issues, 14(2), 113-127.

Christens, B., & Perkins, D.D. (in press). Transdisciplinary, multilevel action research to enhance ecological and psycho-political validity. Journal of Community Psychology.

Prilleltensky, I. (in press). The role of power in wellness, oppression, and liberation: The promise of psychopolitical validity. Journal of Community Psychology.

Speer, P.W., & Zippay, A. (In press). Participatory decision-making among community coalitions: an analysis of meeting minutes. Administration in Social Work.

Perkins, D.D., Crim, B., Silberman, P. & Brown, B.B. (2004). Community development as a response to community-level adversity: Ecological theory and research and strengths-based policy. In K.I. Maton, C.J. Schellenbach, B.J. Leadbeater & A.L. Solarz (Eds.), Investing in children, youth, families and communities: Strengths-based research and policy (pp. 321-340). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.