Community-based initiatives in the urban realm what conditions their performance?

Figures & data

Table 1. Performance of CBIs.

Type of outcome	N
Social improvements of the community or its members	36
Economic improvements of the community or its members	15
Physical improvements of community	8
Environmental improvements	11
Increasing durability	18
Achieving organizational outcomes	11
Fostering safety	6
Enhancing level of education	8
Achieving legitimacy outcomes	5
Achieving (goal) effectiveness	4
Achieving public outcomes	3
Other	5

Source: Igalla, Edelenbos, and van Meerkerk (2019a).

Total: N = 130 (100%) – most studies identified more than one outcome.

Table 2. Factors influencing the performance of CBIs.

Type of factor	N
Network structure	22
Organizational capacity	20
Support of government	18
Support of non-profit sector	13
Leaders and leadership	11
Democratic structure	8
Strategies of initiatives	7
Pre-existing conditions	7
Motivation	4
Other	10

Source: Igalla, Edelenbos, and van Meerkerk (2019a).

Total: N = 130 (100%) – most studies identified more than one outcome.

Table 3. Cases.

Case	Country	City	Main aim
Broekpolder	the Netherlands	Vlaardingen	Protest movement - against large country houses in the Broekpolder area, and to develop and maintain multiple-purpose area: leisure, sports, education, nature reserve, and ecology.
Delfshaven	the Netherlands	Rotterdam	Cooperation established by residents aiming to improve the economic development and resilience of the Delfshaven area by linking larger businesses and institutions to local initiatives
Caring Neigbourhood	the Netherlands	Eindhoven	Initiative of elderly residents aiming to make their neighborhood an appropriate place to grow old while staying independent by taking care of each other rather than (fully) depending on formal elderly care organizations.
Caterham Barracks	UK	Caterham	After closing the army barracks in 1995, community members aimed to protect the site and prevent the demolition and replacement of the historical building by making the site a conservation area.
4 tunnel	Italy	Milan	An initiative focused on the environmental, social, and cultural upgrade of areas close to Milan Central Station. Mainly focusing on infrastructure.
Defending Debar Maalo	Macedonia	Skopje	Initiative that aims to safeguard the public spaces in the neighborhood (under threat of proposed urban renewal) by mobilizing citizens to find solutions to common problems in the neighborhood: increase of traffic, public spaces occupied by cars, increased noise, and air and solid waste pollution.
We are Karposh 4	Macedonia	Skopje	A protest group aiming to stop the destruction of the parks, which are to be replaced by parking lots. Furthermore, this group advocates for the transformation of small, temporary buildings to communal homes or small retail shops.
Park defenders	Macedonia	Skopje	An initiative to protect and help sustain green public spaces in the neighborhood quarter around the hotel ‘Bristol’ where new administrative buildings were planned.
I am Xochimilco	Mexico	Mexico City	The aim of this initiative is to avoid continuous deterioration of Xochimilco’s lake and its biodiversity caused by unplanned urbanization, illegal settlements, and illegal wastewater discharge into the lake, as well as inefficient water management and bad governance from the local government.
Water to drink	Mexico	Juárez City	The initiative aims to provide low-income communities with water services, free water storage containers, educational materials, and water treatment kits.
Buklod Tao	Philippines	Barangay Banaba, San Mateo, Rizal,	Buklod Tao aims to strengthen the capacities of the community in disaster preparedness, awareness, and environmental protection.
Catholic relief services	Philippines	Tacloban City	This recovery project provides shelter and latrines to the Typhoon Haiyan-affected households in the island of Leyte.
Tanauan Barangays	Philippines	Municipality of Tanauan, Eastern Visayas	This initiative aims to rebuild and recover the community after the Typhoon Haiyan disaster and to create awareness and preparedness to cope with future disasters. The local government collaborates to teach disaster risk reduction and management in the barangays.
DAMPA	Philippines	Quezon City	The general aim of DAMPA is to create practical solutions to poverty problems, especially among the urban poor communities in the Philippines. For example, adequate and affordable housing, protection from evictions, relocation assistance, and the provision of basic services (e.g. water, health care, and education).
Anybody can sail	Sweden	Gothenburg	Initiative to give the unused inner harbor a new function: an accessible sailing school for children with disabilities.
Climate congress	United States	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Activists called for a community congress, which was presented as an opportunity to build community-wide consensus around the kind of paradigm shift needed to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Table 4. Raw data matrix.

	Netstruc	High organizational capacity	Motiv	Highly democratic structure	Strong leader-ship	Govattitute	Invitational government culture	Strong NGO support	Urban	Heterogenic neighborhood	Performance
NLBroek	1	0.67	1	0.67	1	0.67	0.33	0.67	0.33	0.67	1
UKCater	1	1	1	1	1	0.67	1	0.67	1	0.33	1
USCCEC	0.33	0.33	0.33	0	0.33	0.33	0.33	0.33	1	0.33	0
NLDelfs	1	0.67	0.67	0.67	0.67	0.67	0.33	0.67	1	0.67	0.67
MADebar	1	1	0.67	1	0.67	0.67	0.33	0.67	1	0.33	0.67
MAKarposh	0.67	0.67	1	1	1	0.67	0.33	0.67	1	0.33	1
Maparkdefen	0.33	0.67	0.67	0.67	1	1	0.33	1	1	0	0
SWSegla	1	1	1	0	0.67	1	1	1	1	0.33	1
IT4tunnel	0.67	0.67	1	0.67	0.67	0.67	0.67	0.33	1	0,33	0.67
PhBuklod	1	1	1	1	1	1	0.33	1	0.33	1	1
PhDampa	1	1	0.67	1	1	1	0.67	1	1	1	1
ThCreative	0.33	0.33	0.33	0	0.33	0.33	0.33	0.67	1	0.67	0.33
MxIamXoxhi	0.67	0.33	1	1	0.67	0	0.33	0.67	0.67	1	0,33
MxWater	0.67	0.67	1	1	1	0.33	0.33	1	0.33	0	0.67
Nlcareneig	1	1	1	0.67	0,67	0.67	0.67	0.33	1	0.33	0.67
PhHaiyan	1	0.67	1	1	0.67	0.67	0.33	1	1	1	1
PhTanauan	1	1	1	0.67	0.67	0.67	0.33	1	0.67	0.67	0.67

Table 5. Necessity analysis of remote and proximate conditions Presence of outcome: intended objectives reached.

	Consistency	RoN	Coverage
Government attitude	0.83	0.82	0.88
Government culture	0.63	0.82	0.88
Urban	0.85	0.38	0.70
Heterogeneity	0.66	0.86	0.85
Network structure	0.97	0.59	0.83
Organizational capacity	0.92	0.69	0.84
Motivation	0.97	0.47	0.79
Democratic structure	0.86	0.71	0.83
Leadership	0.94	0.67	0.85
NGO support	0.86	0.62	0.79

Igalla, M., J. Edelenbos, and I. van Meerkerk. 2019a. “Citizens in Action, What Do They Accomplish? A Systematic Literature Review of Citizen Initiatives, Their Main Characteristics, Outcomes, and Factors.” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 30 (5): 1176–1194. doi:10.1007/s11266-019-00129-0.

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