Organizing for Community Controlled Development: Renewing Civil Society - Softcover

"This book is both important and timely. Written by practitioners who are also academics, the book combines solid research, observation and practical experience that speak forcefully to the need for both local place-based development and greater citizen involvement. The examples they give of successful local efforts to renew neighborhoods demonstrate that change is possible and that resources are available for such purposes. Patricia W. Murphy and James V. Cunningham have provided a roadmap for rebuilding many of our communities and for strengthening the foundations of our democracy."

"Cunningham and Murphy have made a unique contribution to our understanding of economic development at the community level. For practitioners, students, and academicians, no other book connects the practical aspects of building an economic foundation and weaving the social fabric with such an inspiring sense of purpose. This is a work that is not only rigorous and useful, but is fun to read. Anyone who has ever tried to revive a blighted neighborhood will want to read this book."

"The authors lay out a compelling vision and a comprehensive organizing strategy for revitalizing local communities. Packed with rich case examples, this book presents a model for neighborhood planning and includes cutting-edge ideas for drawing on a community's strengths, assets and resources. This community-driven approach offers new hope for addressing problems stemming from America's growing racial divide, public indifference, the broken social contract, and economic disinvestment in low and moderate income communities. This is a must-read for community organizers, urban planners, public officials, economic developers, and neighborhood activists."

"In this book, two veteran organizers propose putting community organizing back at the heart of neighborhood development. Murphy and Cunningham see Americans living in an almost endless number and variety of such places (they estimate there are 60,000 small communities) and lay out the components that any one of these might use to fashion its own tailor-made community organizing effort. It’s a bold, comprehensive scheme worth careful reading by all in the field."

“It is a worthy book, with probably the best collection of resources anywhere for those trying to combine organizing and development.”

Pat Murphy is President of Cornerstones for Development a for-profit firm that works on the local, regional, and national levels with the community, human service, public and philanthropic sectors providing consultation, training and technical assistance to build resilient and inclusive organizations and communities. She has more than 20 years experience working for and with community-based and community-serving organizations and human service providers as staff, volunteer, board member, consultant and educator in community organizing and development. Prior to establishing Cornerstones for Development in 1992, Pat worked along side residents of Pittsburgh neighborhoods as Executive Director of the Stanton Heights Civic Association and Associate Director of the Hill Community Development Corporation, and Economic Development Planner at the Community Technical Assistance Center.

As an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Pat teaches graduate courses in governance, grant proposal writing, community organizing and development, and working with diverse populations.

As an organizer committed to community led social change, Pat has served as a Board member and active volunteer with many Pittsburgh-based non-profits, and nationally with the Development Leadership Network. She is currently on the Board and Grantmaking Committee Co-Chair of the Three Rivers Community Foundation, which funds community-led economic and social justice initiatives, and serves on the Steering Committee of the Regional Coalition of Community Builders, of which she is a founding organizer.

For the past six years Pat has been a potter and grown to embrace woodfiring.

Pat Murphy is President of Cornerstones for Development a for-profit firm that works on the local, regional, and national levels with the community, human service, public and philanthropic sectors providing consultation, training and technical assistance to build resilient and inclusive organizations and communities. She has more than 20 years experience working for and with community-based and community-serving organizations and human service providers as staff, volunteer, board member, consultant and educator in community organizing and development. Prior to establishing Cornerstones for Development in 1992, Pat worked along side residents of Pittsburgh neighborhoods as Executive Director of the Stanton Heights Civic Association and Associate Director of the Hill Community Development Corporation, and Economic Development Planner at the Community Technical Assistance Center.

As an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Pat teaches graduate courses in governance, grant proposal writing, community organizing and development, and working with diverse populations.

As an organizer committed to community led social change, Pat has served as a Board member and active volunteer with many Pittsburgh-based non-profits, and nationally with the Development Leadership Network. She is currently on the Board and Grantmaking Committee Co-Chair of the Three Rivers Community Foundation, which funds community-led economic and social justice initiatives, and serves on the Steering Committee of the Regional Coalition of Community Builders, of which she is a founding organizer.

For the past six years Pat has been a potter and grown to embrace woodfiring.

Jim Cunningham was born in Chicago where he did political and neighborhood development organizing in the 1950s, before moving to Pittsburgh whose neighborhood people were in 1959 beginning to participate in the city's renewal effort. As an organizer for ACTION-Housing he assisted neighborhood people to build organizations that gave them a voice in decisions which affected their lives. Pittsburgh issues then as now were race, jobs and who makes the public decisions that impact on families and small communities. After working for seven years with residents and their allies he began to teach community organizing at the School of Social Work of the University of Pittsburgh.

He helped to create a masters program built on 50% time in field experience and 50% in academic studies, which drew a steady stream of students from the U.S. and abroad. Along the route he published four books including The Resurgent Neighborhood (Fides,1965), Urban Leadership During the Sixties (Brandeis,1970), A New Public Policy for Neighborhood Preservation (Praeger,1979, co-authored with Roger Ahlbrandt), and Building Neighborhood Organizations (Notre Dame,1983, co-authored with Milton Kotler).

Jim retired from full-time teaching in 1997 and continues to teach part-time, and to write, while serving as a volunteer with the Race and Reconciliation Dialogue Group of St.Paul Cathedral Parish, and with the Living Wage Campaign for the Pittsburgh region.

Jim Cunningham was born in Chicago where he did political and neighborhood development organizing in the 1950s, before moving to Pittsburgh whose neighborhood people were in 1959 beginning to participate in the city's renewal effort. As an organizer for ACTION-Housing he assisted neighborhood people to build organizations that gave them a voice in decisions which affected their lives. Pittsburgh issues then as now were race, jobs and who makes the public decisions that impact on families and small communities. After working for seven years with residents and their allies he began to teach community organizing at the School of Social Work of the University of Pittsburgh.

He helped to create a masters program built on 50% time in field experience and 50% in academic studies, which drew a steady stream of students from the U.S. and abroad. Along the route he published four books including The Resurgent Neighborhood (Fides,1965), Urban Leadership During the Sixties (Brandeis,1970), A New Public Policy for Neighborhood Preservation (Praeger,1979, co-authored with Roger Ahlbrandt), and Building Neighborhood Organizations (Notre Dame,1983, co-authored with Milton Kotler).

Jim retired from full-time teaching in 1997 and continues to teach part-time, and to write, while serving as a volunteer with the Race and Reconciliation Dialogue Group of St.Paul Cathedral Parish, and with the Living Wage Campaign for the Pittsburgh region.