Fragile but Essential: The Limitations of Neighborhood Associations for Civic Engagement

Neighborhood associations foster civic engagement by educating and mobilizing community members, balancing political power, and advocating for and improving policy outcomes. While the majority of research is focused on neighborhood councils that are integrated as part of civic participation systems, there is relatively less attention to neighborhood associations that do not have formalized roles in local governance. Therefore, this article presents the findings of an exploratory qualitative case study with board presidents of 26 neighborhood associations located within a municipality. The study was an inquiry into how board presidents experienced civic engagement and whether there were perceived barriers to civic engagement. The following three central themes emerged from study participant interviews: (a) engaging in city work, (b) finding volunteers from the community, and (c) leading the neighborhood association board. The findings point to significant constraints to civic engagement due to the relatively small size of these neighborhood associations and a perceived municipal unresponsiveness to neighborhood associations. A discussion of the findings includes strategies to strengthen neighborhood associations through sustained collaborations, formalized political support, and allocated municipal resources. Overall, this research contributes to scholarship focused on community practice and the role of neighborhood associations to enhance civic engagement in local governance.