Description
Book SynopsisAt a time of intense urban civil unrest in the United States, this classic text by Milton Kotler was the first to forcefully demonstrate how governance on the neighborhood level could allow Americans to regain liberty and the right to govern their own lives. Kotler''s original project showed how townsonce independent but then later annexed by adjacent citiesbecame exploited by centralized downtown power. As relevant today as it was when originally published in 1969, Neighborhood Government continues to speak to American cities whose faces have been radically changed by immigration, urban sprawl, and communities fractured by pervasive economic and racial inequality. With a new critical foreword by Terry L. Cooper that places the text within contemporary debates and a new foreword and afterword from the author, Neighborhood Government continues to be a vital work for anyone interested in the economic, social, and political health of American cities and the continuing struggle to increa
Trade ReviewA generation ago, the scholar-activist Milton Kotler blazed a new trail towards authentic grassroots democracy. Today, as theorists urge more deliberation and community reformers seek new arenas for civic participation, Kotler's recommendations are more relevant than ever. This new edition of Neighborhood Government should refocus attention on the ways that restructured local institutions can empower citizens. -- William A. Galston
In an America split between people enjoying the serenity of gated enclaves, condominiums, and prosperous suburbs, and people struggling with debts, job uncertainty, and the powerlessness of most small communities, Kotler forcefully reminds us of the potential for grass roots resurgence that can enable citizens of distressed communities to level the field and remake their own living places. This book comes to us in a period of general crisis, with families and small communities made frustrated and helpless by social, economic, and political threats, both foreign and domestic. It supplies new evidence of the possibility for citizens to provoke changes in many of the nations 60,000 place communities. Recent research and experience with colleagues supports Kotler's worldview and model. In this time of civic confusion, it is heartening to have the sobering, demanding voice of Milton Kotler providing renewed and expanded ideas as to how the small communities of America can themselves take on the tasks ofachieving homeland security infused with liberty and fairness. -- James V. Cunningham, Emeritus Professor of Community Organization, University of Pittsburgh and Co-Author of Organizing for Community Controlled Deve
In an America split between people enjoying the serenity of gated enclaves, condominiums, and prosperous suburbs, and people struggling with debts, job uncertainty, and the powerlessness of most small communities, Kotler forcefully reminds us of the potential for grass roots resurgence that can enable citizens of distressed communities to level the field and remake their own living places. This book comes to us in a period of general crisis, with families and small communities made frustrated and helpless by social, economic, and political threats, both foreign and domestic. It supplies new evidence of the possibility for citizens to provoke changes in many of the nations 60,000 place communities. Recent research and experience with colleagues supports Kotler's worldview and model. In this time of civic confusion, it is heartening to have the sobering, demanding voice of Milton Kotler providing renewed and expanded ideas as to how the small communities of America can themselves take on the tasks of achieving homeland security infused with liberty and fairness. -- James V. Cunningham, Emeritus Professor of Community Organization, University of Pittsburgh and Co-Author of
Organizing for Community Controlled D
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Critical Introduction Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 The Historical Basis of the Neighborhood Chapter 4 The Imperial City Chapter 5 Theories of Neighborhood Organization Chapter 6 The Neighborhood Corporation Chapter 7 The Political Issues of Neighborhood Corporation Chapter 8 Local Territory and Political Environment Chapter 9 The Transfer of Authority Chapter 10 The Organization of Neighborhood Politics Chapter 11 Localism, Not Separatism Chapter 12 The Radical Politics of Local Control Chapter 13 Original Epilogue: A New Constitution 14 New Afterword
