Where do we go from here? Community participation and empowerment in the Empowerment Zone: Atlanta, 1994--2002

The concepts of community participation and community empowerment have been the focus of several federal programs, such as the Empowerment Zone (EZ), purportedly designed to alleviate poverty in urban areas through the participation of residents. This research examines what effect those concepts had on conditions within targeted communities from the perspective of community representatives whose voice is not often heard. The study analyzes whether the EZ program strengthened the community's ability to take control of and/or influence decisions affecting its quality of life.;The research proposes a conceptual framework of community participation as empowerment and demonstrates the need for a more holistic approach to comprehensive planning initiatives. The framework identifies factors that are needed to make participation meaningful or effective---exercise of power; access to resources; and identification of results or benefits for the community. This dissertation uses a case study research design and qualitative data collection methods to examine four neighborhoods of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone (AEZ) that were also part of the Model Cities program in the 1960s.;Although there was strong emphasis on the importance of community participation and community empowerment as key components of the strategy, no clear definition or guidance was provided as to how the participation requirement would be implemented. Likewise, it was unclear what was intended by empowerment. The research findings show the community representatives encountered significant barriers to their participation in the decision-making processes. Among these were the absolute control exercised by the mayor's office thwarting community recommendations; and the lack of adequate resources to support independent actions by the community. The research identifies that the real issue is about power and the need for a more equitable distribution of power. The overall findings also demonstrate that the institutionalization of the historic effects of racism, which is directly tied to the conditions of persistent poverty and the lack of power, must be addressed even when the factor of race is not an overt driving force. Otherwise, there will be no significant change in the conditions of communities affected by poverty.