Community building initiatives in American inner cities combine resident organizing, neighborhood economic development, reform and integration of human services, and collaboration among diverse organizations into a more comprehensive approach to community renewal. As these initiatives have proliferated, universities - often led by their programs in urban planning - have played varied and important roles. They have assisted in the creation of the initiatives, provided guidance and feedback, contributed technical expertise and financial support, and evaluated the outcomes.

In this article, the author examines the roles played by universities in three distinct community building activities in Oakland, California, over a five-year period. Using three cases and other experiences in the same city, the author outlines four types of lessons for university­community partnerships. The lessons affirm that the contributions that universities can make to community building are very important -- and that the process of maintaining an effective partnership is complex, with a number of potential pitfalls.

Victor Rubin
September 1998  |  14 pages