A View from the City: Local Government Perspectives on Neighborhood-Based Governance in Community-Building Initiatives

Abstract

This article explores the perspective of local governments on the neighborhood-based governance entities being developed by community-building initiatives within their jurisdictions. In general, the governance entities created by these initiatives are seen within a pluralist framework in which they are treated as one of a number of organizations operating on behalf of a neighborhood with which government can choose to work in a number of ways. Public officials see a benefit in working with and through identifiable organizations and community leaders who can broker relationships and provide apparent legitimacy to government activities in the neighborhood. Nevertheless, public officials have identified a number of limitations of such entities, and it is unclear how best to structure their roles, responsibilities, expectations, and lines of accountability.