Democracy Deferred Civic Leadership after 9/11

by Woods, David W.

• ISBN13: 9780230340428
• ISBN10: 0230340423
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks destroyed New York's World Trade Center, civic leaders began to organize four coalitions that aimed to give ordinary citizens a chance to meet, to heal, and to be heard in rebuilding decisions. This book tells the inside story of the civic renewal movement they founded, including their motives, their methods, the obstacles they faced, and the lessons their five-year effort offers for the future. Using participant observation as a leader of these civic renewal efforts, interviews with thirty-six civic leaders, and data from public archives, this book is all those who are interested in public decision-making, democratic participation, and the question of whether ordinary citizens' voices were heard in Lower Manhattan rebuilding decisions after 9/11.

Author Biography

David W. Woods is a sociologist and urban planner who specializes in urban and political sociology, global civic engagement contemporary social movements, and urban planning. He also serves as principal of Greenwoods Associates, a consulting firm specializing in citizen participation, and urban and regional planning processes.

Table of Contents

Event Line--Post-9/11 Civic Renewal Coalitions * Healing and Rebuilding: The Post-9/11 Call for Civic Leadership in New York’s Struggle for a Citizen Voice * Phase One: Getting Organized to Make a Difference: A Participatory Democratic Framework for Raising a Citizen Voice * Phase Two: Getting Heard and Throwing Weight: Expert Advocacy to Influence Decisions * Democracy Deferred: Lessons for the Future * An Experienced-Based Planning Framework for Future Civic Leaders:  Interweaving A Braided Rope of Democratic Theory * Appendix A: Telling the Story:  Notes on Research Methods and Data * Appendix B: List of Post-9/11 Civic Renewal Leaders and Their Organizations