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Broken Windows and Silver Bullets: Interrogating Theories of Community Development
(2011) Ashmore, Katie; Charlton, Joy
This research focuses on the Chester Housing Coalition (CHC), a community-based nonprofit in Chester, PA that seeks to revitalize the city by increasing opportunities for homeownership. Specifically, this project explores the Providence Point Triangle Neighborhood Revitalization Project that utilizes CHC’s two main tactics: housing renovation and mortgage counseling. This investigates the potential for CHC’s work to be a catalyst for change in the PPT neighborhood. CHC’s housing renovation and mortgage counseling programs are grounded in three theories of community development: Broken Windows, Silver Bullets, and Eyes on the Street. In addition, this research hopes to enlighten our understanding of these theories of change. I interviewed residents in the PPT area and used these responses to study the perceived effects of CHC’s work. This thesis offers a tentative evaluation of CHC’s work and similar programs by arguing that the successful revitalization of neighborhoods is a more complicated endeavor that goes beyond materials and financial resources.