The essays in this collection promote a conception of community development that entails building practical capacities to improve the quality of life among residents of targeted neighborhoods. The causes, consequences, and potential solutions of urban problems that lie both inside and outside neighborhood borders are emphasized. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction" (Ronald F. Ferguson and William T. Dickens); (2) "Reconceiving the Community Development Field" (Ronald F. Ferguson and Sara E. Stoutland); (3) "Swimming against the Tide: A Brief History of Federal Policy in Poor Communities" (Alice O'Connor); (4) "Power, Money, and Politics in Community Development" (Margaret Weir); (5) "Community Development Corporations: Mission, Strategy, and Accomplishments" (Sara E. Stoutland); (6) "What 'Community' Supplies" (Robert J. Sampson); (7) "Security and Community Development" (Mark H. Moore); (8) "Schools and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: The Community Development Challenge" (Clarence Stone, Kathryn Doherty, Cheryl Jones, and Timothy Ross); (9) "Rebuilding Urban Labor Markets: What Community Development Can Accomplish" (William T. Dickens); (10) "The Economics of Housing Services in Low-Income Neighborhoods" (Kenneth T. Rosen and Ted Dienstfrey); (11) "Inner-City Business Development and Entrepreneurship: New Frontiers for Policy and Research" (Ross Gittell and J. Phillip Thompson); (12) "Evaluating Community Development Programs: Problems and Prospects" (Peter H. Rossi); and (13) "Conclusion: Social Science Research, Urban Problems, and Community Development Alliances" (Ronald F. Ferguson). Each chapter contains references. (SLD)