Facing Reality: An Evaluation of the Building Blocks Program of Kalamazoo, Michigan

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of Building Blocks, a collaborative grass-roots organizing initiative in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In order to do so, I have collected data (by means of a surveying and informally interviewing past participants of Building Blocks) and compared the data to the established goals of the program. Guiding my assessment were the concepts of social capital; I anticipated that if the four goals of Building Blocks were being met and maintained over time, I would see evidence of social capital in the targeted streets. The results demonstrated that Building Blocks has successfully created bonding social capital, but could better benefit its participating neighborhoods if more bridging social capital was encouraged.