Citation

Mihinjac M, Saville G. Int. J. Comp. Appl. Crim. Justice 2020; 44(4): 335-352.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Society of Criminology's Division of International Criminology, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis)

DOI

10.1080/01924036.2020.1719534

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This chapter describes a case study in social capacity building from the New Orleans neighbourhood of Hollygrove following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Using an action research case study approach, we describe the journey of Hollygrove residents in rebuilding their neighbourhood, focusing on a ten-year period beginning with initial community initiatives in 2008 that led to SafeGrowth training workshop in 2009 and subsequent programming in the following years. The SafeGrowth programmes equipped the resident teams with problem-solving and leadership skills, after which they enacted a series of projects to cut crime and fear. Their newfound skills helped build their capacity to resolve crime problems and facilitate community development. They also discovered how to collaborate with municipal partners to sustain their success and overcome long-standing quality of life issues. We demonstrate how the action research praxis inherent within SafeGrowth offers power for problem-solving and community empowerment, thereby creating a more resilient neighbourhood.

Language: en

Keywords

action research; case study; collective practice; CPTED; hurricane Katrina; neighbourhood capacity building; SafeGrowth