ERIC Number: EJ1056915
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Apr
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1981
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Available Date: N/A
From Broken Windows to Busy Streets: A Community Empowerment Perspective
Aiyer, Sophie M.; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Morrel-Samuels, Susan; Reischl, Thomas M.
Health Education & Behavior, v42 n2 p137-147 Apr 2015
In the present article, we introduce a community empowerment perspective to understanding neighborhoods. A preponderance of literature exists on neighborhood risk factors for crime. Yet less is known about positive factors that make neighborhoods safe and desirable. We propose community empowerment as a conceptual foundation for understanding neighborhood factors that promote social processes, and ultimately, lead to an improvement in structural factors. We suggest that neighborhoods are empowered because they include processes and structures for positive social interactions to emerge and develop. We present busy streets as a mechanism that creates a positive social context, in which social cohesion and social capital thrive. Thus, empowered communities are characterized by climates that promote busy streets. Our article underscores the need to examine both the broader, structural context and social processes operating within this context. Such an integrative perspective is necessary to fully understand how to empower neighborhoods, particularly in the face of structural challenges.
Descriptors: Social Capital, Neighborhoods, Health Promotion, Public Health, Empowerment, Social Influences, Safety, Social Theories, Crime, Risk, Antisocial Behavior, Community Characteristics, Prevention, Interpersonal Relationship
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DHHS/PHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A