Diagnosing Community Standoffs: A Social-Factor Model and the Berm Highway Conflict
- 1 September 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Community Development Society. Journal
- Vol. 17 (2) , 24-38
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15575338609490041
Abstract
Community development practitioners frequently face community conflict over land use that results in a virtual standoff. This paper presents a model developed from seven interrelated social factors to help diagnose these kinds of community conflicts. To verify the model and illustrate its utility, the standoff over the Berm Highway routing in Alton, Illinois, is analyzed. Thirty-two community leaders-18 direct participants and 14 expert observers of the conflict—were interviewed for their "definition of the situation." The participants' tend to cite more micro-level factors than observers. The findings suggest the importance of broadening the participants' definition of the situation through more direct interaction with the observers.Keywords
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