Urban Policy and Community PlanningSpring 2004: Tuesdays, 6-9 PM

Course SyllabusNorth Park University/SCUPE

MA Program in Community Economic Development (MACD)

InstructorsCynthia R. Milsap, EdDc, Northern Illinois UniversityPhone # 773-262-0335. Emai1: crmilsap(a).aol.com

Clinton E. Stockwell, MUPP, PhD University of Illinois at Chicago'Phone #s: 312-922-3243, x16; 773-588-3320

Fax 312-922-3885; clintons@chicagosemester.org

Course Description:The course will explore definitions of neighborhood planning and community

economic development by visiting representative community-based organizations,including faith-based institutions; while providing an opportunity for students to explorecommunity development and neighborhood planning issues in their own context. Thefocus of the course is to explore the relationship of leadership dynamics to the demand oflocal community contexts.

As an introductory course, we will utilize lectures, field trips and guest speakersto help analyze challenges and opportunities facing local communities, the role andresponse of community based organizations, and the causes and consequences of keyissues that arise in neighborhoods- as identified by student from their own contexts. Theissues introduced by students may include, but are not limited to, health, education,welfare reform, and housing. Students will be required to read assigned readings, toanalyze a local community situation of their choice, and to develop a community plan orproject proposal that might address a key problem that the student has identified and hassome commitment to resolving. Designed to be practical in nature, it is possible that aMaster's Project proposal could evolve from class assignments.

Course Goals:1) To gain a sense of the current political climate locally and nationally, especially

the relationships between centralized economic development policy and localizedcommunity economic development practice.

2) To explore how community-based organizations in particular impact andstrategies of response to issues of urban public policy on a local level.

3) To gain skills in research and analysis of a particular community orneighborhood, and to investigate some key challenges that face a community andits institutions.

4) To investigate specifically the role of faith-based CEDs or CBOs.5) To analyze other related key urban public policy questions.

6) To develop an overall perspective, including the option of a working faithperspective, on community development, and on particular public policy issuesthat impact local communities.

7) To better understand the assets and limitations of community institutions, andrelationships to regional organizations such as banks, businesses and the variouslevels of government.

Class Procedure:We will spend the first two or three sessions laying some groundwork and getting

to know each other. This will include a brief neighborhood tour of the city to get the layof the land. Afterwards, the class will discuss weekly readings and make occasional useof guest lecturers and/or field trips to visit various community-based institutions. Notethe course definition focuses on community planning, so much of the course will befocused on trying to understand how communities participate in a local planning process.

Evaluation and Assignments: (4 X 25%= 1000/0).1) 25% for participation, which includes in-class discussion of reading materials;2) 25% for mid-term written exercise, a take home exam.3) 25% for your community analysis piece due just before Spring Break.4) 25% for a final course project, which will be an analysis of a community plan, or

an analysis of an issue significant to the community you are living in or studying.

Evaluation Criteria:1) Weekly discussion of reading materials will be jointly led by student participants,

enhancing oral communication and presentation skills.2) A mid point take home exam that synthesizes reading will provide an opportunity

to develop and demonstrate writing and analytical skills.3) A final course project will facilitate the development of analytical, presentation

and integration skills. The final project will be completed in two stages.Stage one: Community Analysis.Final Project: Community Planning, which builds on Community Analysis

piece.

Speakers and Field Trips: Although the class will meet on Tuesday evenings, wewill seek to organize field trips on weekends or other agreed upon times.Speakers/presenters, in so far as is possible, will represent a variety of perspectives onneighborhood politics, community revitalization and urban planning and development.

Themes to be addressed: We are mostly interested in your gaining a sense of therole that community based organizations (CBO's) have played in shaping the city.However, community organizations also have serious limitations. CBO's are not the onlystakeholders in a community, so part of a community analysis will be to seek tounderstand how CBO's relate to other institutions such as the Alderman's office, banks,city government, advocacy groups, and residents, etc. We will seek to understand the

issues that emerge at the local level, and the contest over resolution that emerges in astruggle between stakeholders.

Topics to be covered in class:1. Concepts of Neighborhood, Community Development2. Short History of Urban Planning3. Role of Community Based Economic Development4. Applying theoretical models of CED: From Top down to Assets Based

models; Social Capital and Civil Society Models.5. Neighborhood Politics and Community Empowerment/organizing

strategies.6. The problem of other actors: Interacting with other agencies. Possibilities

and Limitations of collaboration.7. Community Analysis8. Leadership development9. Women and gender issues in community development.10. CED Models: From Social Service, Advocacy to Political Empowerment11. Cultural Development and Community Development12. Theologies and Visions ofCED13. Faith Based Resources and Models ofCED14. Physics and Design elements in planning15. Community and Neighborhood Planning16. Strategies of Community and Neighborhood Planning

Course Texts:1) William Peterman, Neighborhood Planning and Community-Based

Development: The Potential and Limits of Grassroots Action. Sage,2000.

2) Herbert J. Rubin, Renewing Hope: Within Neighborhoods of Despair:The Community-Based Development Model. (New York: SUNY, 2000).

3) Mark R. Gornik, To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing InnerCity. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2002.

4) Eric O. Jacobsen, Sidewalks of the Kingdom: New Urbanism andChristian Faith (Baker, 2003).

5) Bernie Jones, Neighborhood Planning: A Guide for Citizens andPlanners. (American Planning Association, 1990).

6) Key essays on the themes of the course will be distributed weekly.7) Supplemental handouts given by instructor or guests.8) Weekly and regular reading of newspaper articles on Planning themes

from several of the following including the Chicago Sun Times, TheChicago Tribune (Metro Section), The Chicago Reader (NeighborhoodNews); Crain's Chicago Business. Each student will report on a keynewspaper story of the preceding week. I also recommend the habit ofreading in the major journals and in other newspapers such as the NewYork Times.

Key Essays to be included in course:

Daniel H. Burnham, Plan for Chicago

The Chicago Metropolis 2020 Plan

R.C. Longworth, Chicago as Global City

Clinton Stockwell, Living in a Global City.

Larry Bennett, Postwar Development in Chicago: Rise of Neighborhood

Politics

Michael Porter, The Competitive Advantage of the Inner City

GoldsmithlRandolph, Ghetto Economic Development

Joe Feagin. New Urban Paradigm

Doug Gills/ John Betancur. Race and Class in Urban Economic

Development

John Powell, "Racism and Metropolitan Dynamics. "

Robert Putnam or James Coleman, Something on Social Capital theory

Essay on Black Church and Community Development.

Something on Urban DesignJNew Urbanism

Randy Stoecker, The CDC Model of Community Development.

Urban Policy and Community PlanningCourse Itinerary (Spring 2004)

Topic Leaders: Cynthia Milsap (=CM)Clinton Stockwell (=CS)

[Note: Field trips and guest speakers are TBA, so schedule for topic discussion may alter. A reviseditinerary will be developed to reflect these realities].

Jan. 13: Introduction to the Course. Topic: Student Expectations and Definitions 0/'Community Development (CM,' CS). Read Peterman, chapters1-2; Stoecker, "The CDC Model of Community Development."

Jan 20: Topic: Short History of Urban Planning (CS). Peterman, chapters 3-4; DanielH. Burnham, Plan of Chicago; Other handouts, TBA.

Jan 27: Topic: Neighborhood Politics in Chicago, Since Harold Washington.Read, Bennett, "Poswar Development in Chicago: TheRise of Neighborhood Politics," and speech by Harold Washington, "ChoosingChicago's Government."Or: January 31: Neighborhood Tour of Chicago; (Depends on enrollment)Or, see the Harold Washington Exhibit at the Chicago Historical Society.

Feb. 3: Topic: What is Neighborhood Based CED? (CS). Read Rubin, chapters 1-2;Goldsmith and Randolph, "Ghetto Economic Development;" Betancur andGills, "Race and Class in Urban Economic Development;" Joeseph Feagin,"The New Urban Paradigm." (CS).

Feb 10: Topic: Social Capital Theory (CM). Read Rubin, Chapters 3-4; Essay fromJames Coleman or Robert Putnam, handouts from Instructors.

February 17: Topic: Planning/or the New Chicago (CS). Porter, "The CompetitiveAdvantage of the Inner City," Longworth,"Chicago as a Global City," and "TheChicago Metropolis 2020 Plan. "Peterman, Neigborhood Planning and CD, chs. 5-6; Rubin, chapter 5.

Feb 24: Topic: Cabrini Green, Race, and Downtown Restructuring (CM). Read inPeterman, Neighborhood Planning and Community Dev, ch 7- 9; Rubin,chapter 6; John A. Powell, "Racism and Metropolitan Dynamics."Feb 28: Field Trip to Cabrini Green

March 2: Topic: Gentrification and Downtown Redevelopment(CS). Read Rubin,chapters 7-8; Bennett, "Downtown Restructuring:" Betancur, "Gentrification,"Take Home Mid Term Essay. given. Due back March 16rd

March 9. NO CLASS: Spring Vacation and Recess

March 16: Empowering Communities: The Black Church Model (CM).Read in Rubin, chapters 9-11; Article, "Black Church and CommunityDevelopment"Mid Term Essay DueOr: MARCH 20: Field Trip to Woodlawn, Brazier, WECAN(?)

March 23: Topic: Women and Gender Issues in Community Development (CM). Read inGornick, To Live in Peace, chs. 1-3. (Handouts, TBA).

March 30: Topic: Theologies of Church Based Community Development (CS) Read:Gornick, To Live in Peace, chapters 4-6; Charles Dahm and Niles Harper, "St.Pius Roman Catholic Church and the Pilsen Area Resurrection Project."(April 2) Field Trip to Pilsen, The Resurrection Project;

April 6: Easter Recess: No Class, BUT:Read: Jacobsen, Sidewalks in the Kingdom, Part One, pp. 1-73.Community Analysis Assignment. Due April 13.

April 13: Topic: Economic Development and Urban Design (CS). Read, Jacobsen,Sidewalks in the Kingdom, Part Two, pp. 75-166. Handouts on Urban Designand Post Modernism (TBA).Preview of Final Projects: Community Analysis Piece Due.

April 20: Topic: Resources for CED (CM). Bernie Jones, Neighborhood Planning(chapters one and two)

April 27: Topic: Strategies for CED (CS). Discussion of Jones, NeighborhoodPlanning (chapter three and four)Final Course Projects. Part One

May 6 Final Class Projects. Part Two

Urban Policy and Community PlanningAdvance Reading for January 13

Memorandum: To those taking "Urban Policy and Community Planning," Tuesdaynights, 6-9 PM at Magnuson Hall, Room 4. Please read Bill Peterman, NeighborhoodBased Planning, chapters one and two for Tuesday, January 13. Please also read RandySToecker's article enclosed, "The CDC Model" and come prepared to discuss what isplanning and what is community development?

Thank you,

Cynthia MilsapClinton Stockwell