The CRA Reporter, occasional, free from: Neighborhood Revitalizatio~ Project _ Center for Community Change 1000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington,-DC 20007 202 / 338-8920 In the.two years since the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) became <!TI active law, many neighborho?d-based groups have used it to secure commitments by financial institutions to meet th,e development and credit needs of their neighborhoods. The debut issue of The CRA Reporter (July '80) features five case studies that show something in common: "a good,CRA track record by a . community group can gene!ate a momentum which yields easier and further CRA victories; depending on circumstances, significant commitments from financial institutions can be won with relatively little effort ..." The CRA Reporter will be a useful informationsh~ring vehicle for anyone active in trying to turn "redlines" into "greenlines." --:MR ''Consumers As Producers,'' June and July 1980 issues of The Reporter, $1.50 each from: - • The National Center for Community Action, 1328 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005 202/667-8970 Although _this two-part article is directed 1 toward individual attorneys and local legal services programs, it contains a wealth of valuable information pertinent-to anyone involved in a community-based organization. Blaustein makes clear that the purpose of c01pmunity economic development ''.is not to create a few more 'instant' black or brown millionaires who are beholden to the establishment." Rather; The objective of the community economic development effort today is for the poor community to achieve a favorable economic base of its own, for all residents of the community. It is institution building. It reflects the humanizing, social dimension of community economic development: Only in this way can low-income communities ultimately acquire enough economic freedom to define their: own long-range priorities . . . . The key to the development of a neighborhood economy is a complex struggle for economic power. The central purpose of community economic development, Blaustein goes on, is to promote "substantial participation by the poor in every aspect of the capital-generating , power of the econs,my." This includes, most importantly, the development of a compre-_ hensiv·e strategy that connects economic develoarnent to jobs, health, housing,_and neighborhood development. • In the second part of his article Blaus~ein outline~ a general community economic develop~ent strategy, some specific ways in which,government assistance can be wisely tapped, and se,veral steps local legal services can take once they decide to have an expanded role in economic development. All of these ideas are useful in themselves, of course, and we are further reminded that "the underlying basis for a future unified neighborhood.or city (or !lation, for th'?,t . matter) is vastly increased 'have-riot' participa.tion i~ 1 the_:,economic activity of the total system. -MR Steps to Secure Capital • _• Step 1: Formation of an internally cohesive group with effective hiadership. (This may take six months or more.) Step 2: Neutralization of opposition from government, local and s~ate bureaucracies, business (Chamber of Commerce), and other nonrepresentative spokespersons for poverty communities. Step 3: Demonstration of the ability to produce (establishing a track record), including careful feasibility studies and planning. Step 4: Development of a comprehensive plan or strategy. Underlying this last step are four sub:strategies: • A communjty organization strategy • A local government strategy (CDBG, CETA, UDAGs, etc.) • An economic development strategy .- • A te·chnical assistaq.ce strategy TRANSPORT Understanding, Mainta_i~ing, and Riding the Ten-Speed Bicycle, by Denise M. de _ la Rosa and Michael J. Kolin, 1979, 296_ pp., $9.95 from: '. Rodale Press Organic Park Emmaus, PA 18049 The perfect reviewer for this book would be someone who-is relatively new to ten-speed cycling, has no mechankal bent whatever, and doesn't know beans about bikes. For- _ tunately, RAIN has just such a person on staff-and I can testify that if cranksets, derailleurs, and side:..pull·brakes are no longer·my'steries to me after reading The TenSpeed Bicycle, they need not be to you, either! ' November 1980 RAIN Page 15 Unlike most "how-to" manuals I've encountered, this one is actually enjoyable to . read. Its cl~ar illustrations and straightfor~_, ward descriptions convey a lot of mechanical detail painlessly, and its advice on what to look for in a helmet, touring bag, or leg warme~ can really boost your ability to pick the appropriate products for your needs. Whether your major cycling in(erest is touring, commuting, or carting groceries home from the co-op, this book is a good one t~ have packed in your pannier. - JF POLITICS Decentralism: Where It Came From; Where Is It Going?, by Mildred Loomis, 1980; 216 pp., $5.00 from: School of Living Press RD7 York, PA 17402 MHdred Loomis reminds us that the "New~ Age" isn't very new. SometiJiles,called "the grandmother of the counter ' lture," she has more than forty years experience in movements to establish land trusts, community sel(~relianc.e, alternative education,.o_rganic agriculture, and holistic health care. While her book is too ambitio'us in attempting to weave ,together all the disparate • threads of American decentralist thought in just two hundred pages, it is well worth reading if only for its chapters on the movement pioneers the author·has known and worked with personally. You'll meet Organic Gardening founder J. I. Rodale, community land trust originator Ralph Borsodi, and whole foods nutritionist Agnes Toms. Perhaps most interesting, you'll meet decentralized technology advocate Peter Van Dresser, who accurately predicated the course of the present energy crisis in '1938 ! Decentralism puts many of today's movements for change into perspective with its first-hand recollections of some remarkable people who laid much of the groundwork. -JF
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz