Health Educ Behav. 2015 Apr;42(2):137-47. doi: 10.1177/1090198114558590. Epub 2014 Dec 15.

From broken windows to busy streets: a community empowerment perspective.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education

Sophie M Aiyer, Marc A Zimmerman, Susan Morrel-Samuels, Thomas M Reischl

PMID: 25512073 DOI: 10.1177/1090198114558590

Abstract

In the present article, we introduce a community empowerment perspective to understanding neighborhoods. A preponderance of literature exists on neighborhood risk factors for crime. Yet less is known about positive factors that make neighborhoods safe and desirable. We propose community empowerment as a conceptual foundation for understanding neighborhood factors that promote social processes, and ultimately, lead to an improvement in structural factors. We suggest that neighborhoods are empowered because they include processes and structures for positive social interactions to emerge and develop. We present busy streets as a mechanism that creates a positive social context, in which social cohesion and social capital thrive. Thus, empowered communities are characterized by climates that promote busy streets. Our article underscores the need to examine both the broader, structural context and social processes operating within this context. Such an integrative perspective is necessary to fully understand how to empower neighborhoods, particularly in the face of structural challenges.

© 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Keywords: community health; community health promotion; empowerment; health promotion; social influence

MeSH terms

• Anomie
• Humans
• Interpersonal Relations*
• Residence Characteristics*
• Safety*
• Social Capital*
• Social Environment*

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
• Review

Grant support

• U01 CE001957/CE/NCIPC CDC HHS/United States