Contemporary Neighborhood Theories

Abstract

Theories of neighborhood government can be divided into three categories. Integrative theories grant neighborhoods a significant role in the metropolitan political process. Romantic theories outline nonattainable goals for the neighborhood. Reactive theories juxtapose neighborhood against metropolis by assuming that the neighborhood can be an instrument of social change. This article endorses integrative theories and criticizes theories which are romantic and reactive. The urban reform movement stimulated the development of romantic and reactive theories by attempting to suppress neighborhood politics. Mary Parker Follett suggests a viable way to integrate neighborhood and metropolis which deserves reconsideration.