Research Report Coming Together for Change: A Qualitative Study of Social Connectedness Outcomes Produced by the Love Your Block Program
Mary Bogle, Leiha Edmonds, Ruth Gourevitch
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The Cities of Service Love Your Block (LYB) program connects mayor’s offices with community residents to revitalize their neighborhoods one block at a time. Cities of Service commissioned this study to better understand how the LYB program affects the social connectedness of the residents and communities involved in LYB mini-grant projects, as well as how social connectedness outcomes might relate to impact outcomes, such as public safety. For residents who are members of LYB planning and implementation core teams in target neighborhoods, the Urban Institute research team found that LYB projects can strengthen social cohesion (i.e., the emotional and social investment neighbors have in their surroundings and in each other). The connection the LYB program forges between city leaders and citizens at the neighborhood level appears to be one of the most important catalysts for collective action—the combination of social cohesion and social capital—by LYB neighborhood core teams and their networks.
Research Areas Neighborhoods, cities, and metros Community and economic development
Tags Neighborhoods and youth development
Policy Centers Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center