The Model Cities Program is discussed in this report in terms of neighborhood revitalization, citizen participation, and funding. The effects of the program, as a Federal intervention in the social, political and economic problems of the urban poor, are described. The operational effectiveness of the program's participatory mechanisms designed to channel and structure the rising demands of ethnic minorities for a greater role in urban decision making are evaluated. Factors and conditions which are correlated with residents' participation in eleven urban localities are analyzed. Program administration, citizen participation structures, and minority interest in the program are discussed. The methodology, data tables, and results of a study on decision making in a Model Cities Program are examined. It is concluded that the program failed to reach the majority of its target population and did not succeed in terms of an economic impact on communities. (Author/WI)