A Seat at the Table

Abstract

This chapter describes the New Communities Program as it sought to create a common culture, using particular language regarding development in the target neighborhoods. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation staff built deep relationships of trust between their partner lead agencies and powerful city elites who could steer resources into these communities. Although these partnerships did infuse money and technical expertise into the targeted neighborhoods, they also restricted advocacy and controversial development projects. Applying the discourse of professionalization and policy neutrality, the author argues, these trust networks socialized members into a single organizational culture—one that focuses on remedying the shortcomings of individuals—at a cost to local neighborhoods.