UC Berkeley

The recent, renewed interest in community-based practice calls for comprehensive service delivery at the local neighborhood level. To attain this goal one must first conduct thorough assessments to gain an understanding of the multifaceted social problems communities confront. Using census and administrative agency records, this study describes a multivariable model for the development of a citywide neighborhood typology. The occurrence rates of 10 social problems differentiated the neighborhoods by economic distress, crime, and infant deaths. The research identified four types of neighborhoods - stable, transitory, distressed, and extreme - which form a continuum on the dimension of deterioration. The formation of the local neighborhood typology emerged as a result of the changing larger social environment. Therefore, successful intervention must take into consideration both the level and the scope of deterioration.