Abstract :
Planners, community development professionals and local governments often
look to place-based strategies to create community change in disinvested
urban neighborhoods. These strategies aim to create change at the local level
and seek to involve community residents in their design. This thesis explores
the concept of the comprehensive community initiative, an integrated, holistic
approach to neighborhood development. Using the Local Initiative Support
Corporation/ Chicago New Communities Program as a case study; the
structure, design and process of the program are analyzed. Implications for
community organizing, neighborhood planning and revitalization are
discussed. The lessons learned from the program are examined in the context
of emerging place-based federal legislation such as Promise and Choice
Neighborhoods.
