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Measures for Community and Neighborhood Research
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Measures for Community and Neighborhood Research

First Edition


August 2018 | 488 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Measures for Community and Neighborhood Research is the first book of its kind to compile measures focused on communities and neighborhoods in one accessible resource. Organized into two main sections, the first provides the rationale, structure and purpose, and analysis of methodological issues, along with a conceptual and theoretical framework; the second section contains 10 chapters that synthesize, analyze, and describe measures for community and neighborhood research, with tables that summarize highlighted measures. The book will get readers thinking about which aspects of the neighborhood may be most important to measure in different research designs and also help researchers, practitioners, funders, and others more closely examine the impact of their work in communities and neighborhoods.

 

 
List of Measures and Tables
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS
 
Chapter 1: Introduction and Purpose
Defining Communities and Neighborhoods

 
Overview of Measurement Methods and Inclusion Criteria for Measures in this Book

 
Measurement Reliability

 
Measurement Validity

 
Purpose and Structure

 
Description of Book Chapters

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 2: Framework for Community and Neighborhood Measurement
Our Conceptual Framework

 
Conceptual Domains

 
Examples of Community Measures in Research and Practice

 
Example Application 1: Improving Access to Healthy Food

 
Example Application 2: Promotion of Community Health

 
Example Application 3: Promoting Community Safety and Preventing Violence

 
Example Application 4: Prevention of Substance Use Disorders

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 3: Methodological Considerations for Community and Neighborhood Measurement
Methodological Issues When Using Community or Neighborhood-Level Measures

 
Special Problems With Ecological and Geographic Units

 
Ecological Fallacy

 
The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP)

 
Uncertain Geographic Context Problem (UGCoP)

 
Violation of the Independence Assumption

 
Sampling Considerations When Community Is the Unit of Analysis

 
Addressing Sparseness Within Neighborhood Samples

 
Sampling Neighborhoods or Place-Based Communities

 
Sample Power in Multi-Level Studies

 
Assessing the Reliability of Neighborhood-Level Measures: Ecometrics

 
Overall Methodological Issues for Community and Neighborhood Measurement

 
Specifying Neighborhood as a Social and Geographic Unit

 
Administrative Boundaries

 
Resident-Perceived Neighborhoods

 
Physical and Spatial Characteristics

 
Activity Spaces

 
Considerations in Selecting the Unit of Analysis

 
Objective Versus Subjective Neighborhood Measurement

 
Engaging Community Partners in the Selection of Measures

 
Using New Technology to Measure Neighborhoods

 
Conclusion

 
 
CHAPTERS ON MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS
 
Chapter 4: Community Readiness and Capacity for Change
Defining Community Readiness and Capacity

 
Community Readiness Model

 
Community Capacity for Change

 
Measuring Community Readiness and Capacity

 
Measures of Community Readiness

 
Measures of Community Capacity

 
Combined Measures of Community Readiness and Capacity

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 5: Strategic Collective Action in Communities
The Importance of Measuring Strategic Collective Action

 
Methods for Measuring Strategic Collective Action

 
Measures of Strategic Collective Action

 
Participation, Representation, and Activities

 
Power

 
Collaboration

 
Coalitions

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 6: Social Connections and Processes in Communities
Why is it important to measure social connections and processes in communities?

 
Sense of Community (SOC) Measures

 
Construct Validity of the SOC

 
SOC as an Individual- and Community-Level Construct

 
Measures of Neighborhood Social Processes

 
Collective Efficacy

 
Neighborhood Matters Measure

 
Social Capital Measures

 
Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement

 
Social Capital Measure From the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods

 
More Recent Social Capital Measures

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 7: Community Empowerment and Engagement
Why is it important to measure community empowerment and engagement?

 
Empowerment in Communities

 
Psychological Empowerment Measures

 
Community Empowerment Measure

 
Sociopolitical Control Measures

 
Community and Citizen Participation

 
Defining Community and Citizen Participation

 
Measures of Community and Citizen Participation

 
Civic Engagement

 
Defining Civic Engagement

 
Civic Engagement Measures

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 8: Community Resources and Resident Satisfaction
Defining Community Resources and Satisfaction

 
Community Resources

 
Community Satisfaction

 
Satisfaction With Public Services

 
The Relationship Between Community Satisfaction and Satisfaction With Public Services

 
Why Measure Community Resources and Satisfaction?

 
Methods Used to Measure Community Resources and Satisfaction

 
Measures of Community Resources

 
Observation-Based Measures of Resources

 
Survey-Based Measures of Resources

 
Combining Observations and Survey Methods to Measure Community Resources

 
Measures of Community Satisfaction

 
Measures of Satisfaction With Public Services

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 9: The Built Environment Influencing Healthy Living
Why is it important to measure the built environment?

 
How is the built environment measured?

 
Overview of Measures

 
Neighborhood Food Environment

 
Walkability of Neighborhoods

 
Recreation in Neighborhoods

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 10: Housing and Neighborhood Change
Why are measures related to housing and neighborhood change important?

 
Housing Measures

 
Measures of Housing Quality

 
Measures of Housing Affordability

 
Measures of Housing Market Strength

 
Neighborhood Change Measures

 
Measures of Vacancy, Abandonment, and Blight

 
Measures of Residential Mobility and Housing Unit Turnover

 
Measures of Gentrification and Displacement

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 11: Community Disorder, Crime, and Violence
Why Is It Important to Measure Disorder, Crime and Violence?

 
Community Disorder and Order Measures

 
Defining Community Disorder and Order

 
Measures of Community Disorder and Order

 
Fear of Crime

 
Defining Fear of Crime

 
Measures of Fear of Crime

 
Exposure to Community Violence

 
Defining Exposure to Community Violence

 
Measures of Exposure to Community Violence Among Children and Adolescents

 
Measures of Exposure to Community Violence Among Adults

 
Crime, Violence, and Related Data

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 12: Place-based Social Exclusion and Inequity
Measuring Community Social Disadvantage

 
Quantifying Place-Based Segregation by Race, Ethnicity, and Income

 
Minority–Majority Group Measures of Segregation

 
Multiple Group Segregation Measures

 
Economic Segregation Measures

 
Spatial Segregation Measures

 
Community Diversity Measures

 
Measurement of Neighborhood Racial and Ethnic Diversity

 
Measuring Income Diversity in Neighborhoods

 
Measuring Access to Opportunity

 
Measures of Job Access

 
Measures of Access to Services and Amenities

 
Conclusion

 
 
Chapter 13: Community Well-Being and Quality of Life
Defining Well-Being/Quality of Life

 
Individual Well-Being

 
Social Well-Being

 
Community or Neighborhood Well-Being

 
Why Measure Neighborhood Well-Being/Quality of Life?

 
As an Alternative to GDP

 
As an Alternative to DAYL

 
Well-Being Measures

 
Facet-Based Measures of Individual Well-Being That Include Community/Neighborhood Components

 
Global Measures of Community/Neighborhood Well-Being

 
Facet-Based Indicators of Community/Neighborhood Well-Being

 
Measures Used in Surveys

 
Measures That Use Administrative Data

 
Measures That Combine Survey Items and Administrative Data

 
Conclusion

 

Measure for Community and Neighborhood Research is a ‘one stop shop’ for community practitioners, researchers, students and advocates. Each chapter provides a wealth of knowledge and resources to identify keen methods for measuring outcomes and making and supporting sustainable change.”

John R. Barner
University of Georgia

Measures for Community and Neighborhood Research fills a gap in the literature; it puts core measures and methodological approaches in one place. It is a great resource for researchers engaged in interdisciplinary and multi-level analysis of communities.”

Robert Silverman
University at Buffalo

"Measure for Community and Neighborhood Research is the first book of its kind. Now community practitioners and scholars can find in one place the key measures used to define community characteristics and track change over time."

Richard J. Smith
Wayne State University

Measure for Community and Neighborhood Research is a real companion for Population Health students.

Professor Fazlay Faruque
Public Health, University Of Mississippi
February 21, 2019

Mary Louise Ohmer

 Mary Ohmer has over twenty years of experience working in community organizing and development around the country with national and local nonprofit and community based organizations, foundations, and government.  Dr. Ohmer has taught consensus organizing approaches as part of macro practice and community organizing social work courses.  She received her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Pittsburgh in August 2004, and she is currently an assistant professor at the School of Social Work at Georgia State University.  Dr. Ohmer is also currently working with the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta to help them... More About Author

Claudia J. Coulton

Claudia Coulton has been research methods courses for over 30 years all of which include significant content on community measures. She is currently co-authoring a book, “Neighborhood Data for Community Change”, that will be published by Urban Institute. She has been a consultant and advisor to numerous community change initiative regarding evaluation and research methods. She is the author of numerous book chapters and journal articles based on neighborhoods and communities. More About Author

Darcy A. Freedman

Joanne L. Sobeck

Jaime Booth

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ISBN: 9781483358369
$115.00