Limitations of community development partnerships: Cleveland Ohio and Neighborhood Progress Inc.

Abstract

This article examines efforts in the US near the end of the 20th century at establishing community development partnerships (CDPs) that aggregate resources from private, philanthropic, public and non-profit institutions to build capacity and revitalize neighborhoods through community development corporations (CDCs). In order to assess CDP impact on CDCs, capacity is divided into five components: resource, organizational, networking, programmatic and political. Subsequently, the article provides a case study of one CDP located in a US city significantly impacted by globalization and economic restructuring, Cleveland, Ohio’s Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI). It describes the inability of NPI to build the capacity of CDCs comprehensively, although expanding CDC capacity to enhance physical development was a success. The case of NPI illustrates to planners and other community development experts the CDP approach to building CDC capacity. CDPs must define capacity building beyond the ability of CDCs to perform physical development strongly catering to private-sector interests. A concentration on physical development curtails engaging in other programmatic activities, such as community organizing and social development that would move CDCs or similar grassroots organizations towards greater control of comprehensive revitalization efforts in neighborhoods affected by globalization and economic restructuring.