Abstract:
Thi
s book is about reconnecting neighbors through sustainable
community development. The neighborhood with which we engaged
was College Core, a community centered between two anchoring
institutions in Detroit, Michigan. To the east is the University of Detroit
Mercy (UDM), and to the west is Marygrove College. To implement
sustainable community development, we designed a model based on four
pillars of equal importance: changing perceptions, creating connections,
developing leadership and organizing action. As graduate students
working towards a Master of Community Development at the University
of Detroit Mercy, we spent two semesters shaping and testing this model
as part of our program’s capstone project. We arrived at the four pillars
model approximately ten weeks into working with College Core after an
extensive discussion with the community about what the community
and we wanted to accomplish
