Salena Brody
Professor of Psychology
Ghettos and gated communities:
The impact of urban planning decisions on neighborhood life
In 2004, McKinney, Texas billboards boasted that the city was one of the fasting growing in
America. A 2005 New York Times article profiled Frisco, Texas as a rapidly growing exurb with
increasingly painful commute times to Dallas. With the booming population of these Collin county
cities and others around the country, should we be worried about the impact of this urban sprawl on
community life?
The answer appears to be a resounding YES. According to Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam,
10 minutes of commuting time reduces social capital by 10%. With suburbs and exurbs growing so
rapidly (some estimate about 20% growth each year), this equation may leave us in the red when it
comes to our connections with neighbors, community groups, friends, and civic life.
The purpose of the reading list is to draw conclusions about how urban planning decisions are
made, how America’s neighborhood structure has changed, and how these changes have made a
significant negative impact on civic and community life.
I am applying for a study grant for the summer semester (either I or II) 2007.
Rationale
I chose this line of inquiry based on my background studying mixed-income housing and social
attitudes. I would like to broaden my knowledge of urban planning to include a historical and
political perspective. My previous research focused on Boston, and I would appreciate an
opportunity to explore other case studies in America. Had I not become a psychologist, I almost
certainly would have pursued an urban planning degree. This study plan meets my personal and
professional interests by giving me the time to read across the disciplines and also connects to my
interests in civic engagement.
Areas of Inquiry
This purpose of this study plan is to investigate the literature on urban planning, community
psychology, political psychology and civic participation. Some initial questions I hope to address
through selected readings are:
o Historically, how have urban planning decisions been reached in America’s large cities?
How have these decisions changed as the borders of cities have grown outward to
surrounding suburbs?
o Psychologically, how do decisions about neighborhoods and housing affect individuals?
What are the psychological functions of housing?
o What are psychological predictors of an involved citizenry? How has the nature of
citizenship and civic behavior changed over time? Is this related to changing
neighborhoods?
o What are some concrete examples of how structural decisions (e.g. mixed-income, mixeduse developments) affected social outcomes (e.g. attitudes, civic participation).
Weekly work plan (5 week summer session)
Weeks 1-2 Urban planning
Jane Jacobs, in the Death and Life of Great American Cities outlines the characteristics of
successful neighborhoods. She wrote about topics as seemingly mundane as the function of
sidewalks, yet the observations she made in the 1960s about urban planning continue to resonate
when we examine the growth surrounding today’s American cities. Her work will be the
cornerstone of my readings focused on urban planning and I plan to analyze the other selections in
this area through her lens, particularly the pieces featuring case studies of urban planning in
America’s big cities. Representative readings:
Bruegmann, R. (2005). Sprawl: A compact history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
ISBN: 0226076903
Garvin, A. (2002). The American city: What works, what doesn't. New York : McGraw-Hill.
ISBN: 0071373675
Greenberg, M. (1995). The poetics of cities: Designing neighborhoods that work.
Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
ISBN: 0814206573
Jacobs, A.B. (1993). Great streets. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
ISBN: 0262600234
Jacobs, J. (1961). The death and life of great American cities. New York: Vintage Books.
Lang, J.T. (1994). Urban design: The American experience. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
ISBN: 0442013604
Out of ground zero : Case studies in urban reinvention (2002). Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the
Study of American Architecture, Columbia University, New York : Prestel.
ISBN: 3791327909
Wilson, W.H. (1989). The City Beautiful Movement. .Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
ISBN: 0801849780
Wycherley, R. E. (1976). How the Greeks built cities. New York: Norton.
ISBN: 0393008142
Week 3 Community psychology
Readings in this unit will provide me with the necessary theoretical framework for analyzing urban
planning from a community psychology perspective. I will start with selected chapters from
community psychology textbooks and then I will read both theoretical and empirical papers that
specifically examine the relationship between various community variables and civic participation.
Representative readings:
Adams, R. (1992). Is Happiness a Home in the Suburbs?: The Influence of Urban Versus Suburban
Neighborhoods on Psychological Health. Journal of Community Psychology, 20(4), 353-372.
Dalton, J.H., Elias, M.J. & Wandersman, A. (2007). Community Psychology - Linking Individuals
and Communities, 2nd ed.
ISBN: 0534634540
Farrell, S., Aubry, T., & Coulombe, D. (2004). Neighborhoods and neighbors: Do they contribute to
personal well-being?. Journal of Community Psychology, 32(1), 9-25.
Itzhaky, H., & York, A. (2003). Leadership competence and political control: The influential
factors. Journal of Community Psychology, 31(4), 371-381.
Lenk, K., Barney, T., Wagenaar, A., Bosma, L., & Vessey, J. (2002). Can neighborhood
associations be allies in health policy efforts? Political activity among neighborhood associations.
Journal of Community Psychology, 30(1), 57-68.
Poulin, J., & Kauffman, S. (1995). Citizen Participation in Prevention Activities: Path Model II.
Journal of Community Psychology, 23(3), 234-249.
Prezza, M., Amici, M., Roberti, T., & Tedeschi, G. (2001). Sense of community referred to the
whole town: Its relations with neighboring, loneliness, life satisfaction, and area of residence.
Journal of Community Psychology, 29(1), 29-52.
Turley, R. (2002). Is relative deprivation beneficial? the effects of richer and poorer neighbors on
children's outcomes. Journal of Community Psychology, 30(6), 671-686.
Weeks 4 & 5 Political psychology & Civic participation
The selected pieces in this list connect themes in political science and psychology with civic
engagement research. These readings explore the impact of sprawl on social capital and
neighborhood outcomes. Representative readings:
Duany, A. (2000). Suburban nation: The rise of sprawl and the decline of the American Dream.
New York : North Point Press.
ISBN: 0865475571
Hansen, R. (2003). Civic culture and urban change: Governing Dallas. Detroit: Wayne State
University Press.
ISBN: 0814330800
Hayden, D. (2002). Redesigning the American dream: The future of housing, work, and family life.
New York: W. W. Norton.
ISBN: 0393730948
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York:
Simon & Schuster.
ISBN: 0684832836
Use of results
This study will broaden my understanding of urban planning and will allow me to connect themes
in psychology to other areas of interest in the social sciences. I have long been interested in what
factors contribute to civic involvement and this study will inform my work collaborating with the
Center for Scholarly and Civic Engagement at Collin. I plan to incorporate the knowledge gained
from this study into a Service-Learning/Civic Engagement faculty workshop in the future. The
reading list will also give me a framework for developing new ideas connecting these themes. I
regularly present papers at both psychology and civic engagement conferences and I hope to further
develop the ideas presented in this proposal into a conference presentation. Additionally, the
opportunity to read across the disciplines will aid me in cultivating ideas for a learning community
pairing psychology with history that is currently in its early development stage.