Browsing by Subject "Community development"
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Item Attitudes toward and interest in community gardening in two low-income neighborhoods(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Foncham, Samuel AwahThe purpose of the study was to determine attitudes toward community gardening and community gardening needs of residents in two low-income neighborhoods, Amett Benson (AB) and Parkway-Cherry Point (PC)neighborhods in the city of Lubbock, Texas, as well as to investigate resources available for community gardening. A two-part instrument was developed by the researcher for attitudes toward community gardening (CG) and needs data collection. A second instrument was developed to determine the resources available for community gardening. The instruments were reviewed by a panel of experts for content validity. Prior to the administration, the two-part instrument was pilot-tested using two nearby neighborhoods. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the attitude scale was 0.85 and 0.86 for the needs assessment scale. Data were collected through structured interviews conducted by trained interviewers. Interviewees rated their attitudes toward community gardening and community gardening needs on a scale of 1 to 5, five being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree. One hundred adults were interviewed on a voluntary basis in the two neighborhoods. The interviewees ranged in age from 18 to 88 years; 122 were females and 78 males. Data for the resources available for community gardening were obtained by interviewing local leaders and representatives from several agencies and institutions in the two neighborhoods. Results indicated that residents in both AB and PC neighborhoods had positive attitudes toward community gardening and perceived a need for community gardens. The level of significance for analysis was established as .05. Using ANOVA, it was determined that the two neighborhoods were significantly different for both attitudes and needs. Hispanics and whites were not different in attitudes toward community gardening or community gardening need; they were significantly different from African Americans. Ethnicity revealed a significant difference for both attitudes toward community gardening and community gardening needs. The number of hours worked per week revealed a significant difference on attitude but not for needs, however, the other sample characteristics were not significantly different. Analysis of the resources needed for community gardening revealed that a number of local institutions or agencies could supply some form of human resources, e.g., while the South Plains Food Bank and some community leaders could supply both human and non-human resources.Item Back to the garden : promoting sustainable communities by incorporating community gardens into city planning processes(2009-05) Dalrymple, Heather Elizabeth; Oden, MichaelCity leaders and residents are increasingly considering the need to address urban food provision. Community gardens are one aspect of the urban food system that is seeing a resurgence of popularity and support. Although not intended to replace market-based food streams or the federal food safety net, these gardens can provide many benefits to their communities besides increased food security and access to fresh produce. They can encourage community development, especially in struggling areas, by serving as tools for addressing community issues. Because they are effective uses of open space, cities should consider supporting the development of community gardens. Along with a literature review to show the potential benefits of community gardens, this report uses case study research to show the adaptability of community gardens in meeting communities’ diverse needs. Cleveland, Ohio and San Francisco, California were selected to show how community garden provision is addressed in two greatly differing cities. They provide examples of how community gardens can succeed in many types of urban environments.Item A case study of the city of Austin's Colony Park sustainable community initiative(2013-12) Koch, Jessi Ray; Wilson, Barbara B. (Barbara Brown); Almy, DeanThis study explores the City of Austin Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative, a three-year planning project funded through a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of Sustainable Communities and Housing Community Challenge Planning Grant. The final outcome of the Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative will include a master plan for 208 acres of publicly owned land in east Austin, located off of Loyola Lane between the Colony Park and Lakeside neighborhoods. The Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative considers a study area of five census tracts that surround the 208 acre site. The City of Austin's Neighborhood Housing and Community Development is the lead department on The Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative, however, all City of Austin departments are stakeholders as well as all residents of the five census tracts that make of the project study area. The study includes a historical context for the relationship between community leaders of the Colony Park-Lakeside area and City of Austin officials and department employees. I explore the complex activities and events that have taken place over the course of the first year and a half of the grant term, and the significance of these events for the future of the project and surrounding community moving forward.Item Determinants of Success for Community-based Tourism: The Case of Floating Markets in Thailand(2012-10-19) Vajirakachorn, ThanathornCommunity involvement has been promoted and studied in diverse disciplines including planning, geography, community development, and others. In the tourism field, the shift from conventional tourism toward sustainable forms of tourism which emphasizes community-based practices in planning, development, and management has been broadly encouraged, especially in the developing world. Variously labeled, but commonly identified as Community-based tourism (CBT), this form of tourism is considered essential for community development, with an ultimate goal of sustainable development. Although many destinations have attempted to translate the CBT concept into practice, its appropriateness and success has been questioned and debated among practitioners and scholars. This research explores how members of local communities evaluate the CBT success factors discussed in the tourism literature. These factors include: 1) community participation, 2) benefit sharing, 3) tourism resources conservation, 4) partnership and support from within and outside of the community, 5) local ownership, 6) management and leadership, 7) communication and interaction among stakeholders, 8) quality of life, 9) scale of tourism development, and 10) tourist satisfaction. The main objectives of this study are: 1) developing an integrative measurement scales to evaluate the success of a CBT destination, 2) identifying the determinants of success as perceived by local communities at a CBT destination, and 3) examining the differences in CBT success factors between two communities relative to the duration and scale of tourism development, and size of the community. This dissertation employed mixed methods, combining questionnaire interviews, in-depth qualitative interviews, and participant observation as data collection tools. The fieldwork was conducted in Thailand during February ? June 2010. Amphawa and Bangnoi floating markets were evaluated based on the ten factors. Results show that Amphawa, a larger and longer developed destination, is more successful than Bangnoi, a smaller and newly developed destination. Findings also indicated that the ten factors are important determinants of the success of tourism development in the two communities. Additional factors that the communities identified were advertising and the use of media as well as social networks. The integration of success factors reported in this study is recommended as a guideline for improvements in CBT development and evaluation.Item Everything changes, everything stays the same : the impact of the arts on the community development of Marfa, Texas(2013-05) Holder, Shea Alexandra; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-This study examined the impact of the arts on community development in the town of Marfa, Texas. The purpose of this study was to examine the role the arts have played and continue to play in art education and community development. To explore the impact of the arts in Marfa, forty interviews were obtained from residents of the community in the summer of 2012. Seven themes emerged from these interviews, giving insight into the impact of the arts in the community development of Marfa. These themes included: Arts Community Support, Hard Work, Discourse and the Influence of Art, Cultural Differences and Similarities, Economic Benefit of the Arts, Cultural Augmentation, and Donald Judd: The Center of Influence in my interviews. These themes presented a range of perspectives regarding the impact of the arts in this small west Texas town.Item Fostering arts based revitalization in small and rural communitites through the provision on artist housing and relocation incentives(2011-12) Schmalbach, Heidi Parker; Mueller, Elizabeth J.The purpose of this research report is to analyze arts-based development and revitalization strategies undertaken by small and rural communities, with a specific focus on artist housing and relocation incentives. Using case study analysis from programs around the country, this paper attempts to categorize and compare development models and their potential application in different types of communities. From a theoretical perspective, the report is grounded in the literature from various disciplines on the social and economic impacts of the arts and artists in communities. This includes academic research and policy studies from the fields of planning, urban studies, economic development, social work, community-arts practice, geography, and sociology. After completing a thorough scan of artist housing and relocation incentives around the U.S., six were selected for further analysis including semi-structured interviews with program leaders, and four were developed as case studies. From these case studies, inherent challenges emerged that are discussed along with potential mitigation strategies. Finally, the conclusion offers summary recommendations and a proposal for a new housing/relocation model involving limited equity homeownership and a community benefits agreement between community artists and residents. It is intended that this report can be used as a reference and resource for communities interested in pursuing arts-based community development by offering a variety of policy and planning tools that can be used when crafting an artist housing and relocation incentive program.Item Issues in urban America : factors related to perceptions of self-reliance and lower crime(2001-05) Wheeler, Sean; Butler, John S. (John Sibley)For over a century, researchers have studied methods for revitalizing urban communities. Many studies show that entrepreneurship plays a vital role in sustaining valuable resources that are necessary for community development. The current study adds to previous research by identifying factors that are related to self-reliance and lower crime. I analyze data from the 1991 National Race and Politics Study, which explored attitudes on various issues related to community development and politics. My findings indicate that jobs, more say in government decisions, and hard work are significantly related to self-reliance, while small business, neighborhood organizations, care for the homeless and job training are significantly related to lower crime. These results support the work of previous researchers by showing that crime and neighborhood organizations play important roles in community development. The study goes a step further to identify additional attitudinal variables that are related to self-reliance and lower crime. These results should assist policy makers in determining what factors may help revitalize urban communities that suffer from high levels of unemployment and crime.Item (Re)interpreting vulnerabilities in the peri-urban Valley of Mexico : toward a deeper and more actionable understanding of poverty in Mexico City’s urban fringe(2014-08) Siegel, Samuel Donal; Dooling, SarahSettlement patterns on the urban fringe can present a host of threats to sociopolitical and biophysical sustainability, at the personal, municipal, and ecosystem scale. Mexico City’s expansive growth has forced the region’s poorest inhabitants to the farthest margins in the neighboring State of Mexico, where they often live in conditions of personal hardship and settle in patterns that threaten the ecological health of environmentally sensitive areas. Following interviews with practitioners in three periurban municipalities in the Valley of Mexico, this report examines how local land use regulators interpret the vulnerabilities facing communities in their jurisdictions and presents a typology of vulnerabilities. The report explores the processes of politicization that produce and re-produce the vulnerabilities facing individuals, communities and ecosystems. Several concrete policy recommendations are made for incorporating holistic thinking about vulnerability into government decision-making, and resources are provided for further research.Item The Seven Cs Ethical Model of Communication: Environmental Communication and Indigenous Knowledge Management Strategies in International Agricultural Development(2012-10-19) McCann, ElisabethThis dissertation explores a number of issues facing international nonprofit organizations and individuals working in agricultural interventions supporting rural development with the goal of creating an ethical foundation of communication values and practices. A theoretical framework is formulated, with the principles of environmental communication as a foundation. Special emphasis is placed upon knowledge management strategies utilized when working with indigenous populations. From these theoretical foundations, the emergent 7Cs ethical model of communication is constructed via the concepts of: Collaboration, Culture, Community, Conservation, Capacity, Care, and Consistency. A critical-rhetorical ethnographic case study of the Binational Agriculture Relief Initiative?s discourse is offered to explore the functionality and applicability of the 7Cs model. Using the 7Cs model as a guide, this analysis examines issues associated with nonprofit advocacy and developing communication strategies for international organizations serving agricultural development. Conclusions for the 7Cs ethical model of communication offer perspective on the model as a discursive response to neoliberal policies and international development ethics.