Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Rethinking the Institutional Basis of Urban Development - Hurricane Katrina and Neighborhood Recovery Efforts in New Orleans

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法》(公法111-5)资助的。在城市发展文献中，社会资本被认为对社区发展至关重要，但支持这一说法的经验证据喜忧参半。鉴于理论论证和经验发现之间的差距，本项目将审查以下问题：贫困社区在组织模式和密度方面与富裕社区有什么不同，以及它与社区发展有何关联？社会资本在多大程度上有效地促进了城市发展，社会资本的哪个方面与城市发展进程有关？归根结底，是什么政治和社会力量塑造了城市地区社会资本的格局？这项拟议的研究将通过考察新奥尔良先前存在的社区机构对卡特里娜飓风后恢复速度和范围的影响来回答这些问题。利用地理信息系统，调查员重建了卡特里娜飓风前存在的当地机构的地形，并统计分析了贫困、当地机构安排和卡特里娜飓风后重新安置之间是否存在关联。此外，与公共住房居民和当局的访谈将揭示政治力量在多大程度上塑造地方社会资本的特征。从理论上讲，该项目可以通过将社会关系的正式和制度维度与非正式的横向网络并列来完善社会资本的运行概念化。此外，研究结果将有助于我们更好地实证地理解社会资本形成和促进城市地区发展的机制。这反过来将鼓励设计和实施正确反映居民需求和利益并相应分配资源的城市政策。该项目的结果将通过时事通讯和媒体报道向新奥尔良居民传播。这位调查员还计划与一群参与新奥尔良和美国其他受灾地区重建工作的城市规划者、社区领袖和政府官员讨论拟议中的研究结果。新奥尔良-S卡特里娜飓风前组织的完整数据集将与城市研究学者分享，他们对实证了解美国城市发展的来源感兴趣。这可能会在那些正在经历衰落并需要重新发展战略的城市中促进利用拟议研究模式的研究活动。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).In the urban development literature social capital is considered essential to community development, and yet empirical evidence that supports this claim has been mixed. In light of the gap between theoretical justifications and empirical findings, this project will examine the following questions: Are poor neighborhoods any different from their richer counterparts in terms of their organizational pattern and density, and how is it associated with community development? To what extent is social capital effective in promoting urban development, and which aspect of social capital is associated with the processes of urban development? Ultimately, what are the political and social forces that shape the topography of social capital in urban areas? The proposed research will answer these questions by looking at the effects of New Orleans's preexisting neighborhood institutions on the pace and scope of recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Using GIS, the investigator reconstructs the topography of local institutions that existed before Hurricane Katrina and statistically analyzes whether there is an association among poverty, local institutional arrangements and post-Katrina resettlement. Also, interviews with public housing residents and authorities will shed light on the extent to which political forces shape the characteristics of social capital at the local level.Theoretically, this project can refine the running conceptualization of social capital by juxtaposing formal and institutional dimensions of social relations with informal, horizontal networks. Furthermore, the results will help us better understand empirically the mechanisms through which social capital is formed and contributes to the development of urban areas. This, in turn, will encourage the design and implementation of urban policies that correctly reflect the needs and interests of residents and allocate resources accordingly.The results of the project will be disseminated to the residents of New Orleans via newsletter and media coverage. The investigator also plans to discuss the results of the proposed study to a group of urban planners, community leaders, and government officials who are engaged in the reconstruction of New Orleans as well as other disaster-stricken areas in the United States. The complete dataset of New Orleans?s pre-Katrina organizations will be shared with the scholars of urban studies who are interested in empirically understanding the sources of development in American cities. This will potentially promote research activities that utilize the model of the proposed study in those cities that are experiencing decline and need strategies for redevelopment.